Contact CU Independent News Staff Writer Sydney Worth at sydney.worth@colorado.edu
The results of the 2014 social climate survey were released in January 2016, holding a variety of implications for the University of Colorado.
The events revolving around racial and ethnic inclusion on Thursday were not in response to these results, but the ideas are closely related. The summit, which is the second diversity summit of the school year, comes closely following the event on Feb. 11 entitled, “Student Voices at CU: What Racial and Ethnic Inclusion Means for Our Campus.”
This week, the discussion on diversity manifested in workshops and seminars. Among the events held during this week’s summit was “Racial and Ethnic Diversity: A Roadmap to Inclusive Excellence at CU-Boulder.” The workshop promoted dialogue among small groups in order to provide insight into how to better promote racial and ethnic inclusiveness.
The Chancellor’s Committee on Race and Ethnicity Caucus dealt with three main topics, including how to develop a zero-tolerance system for bias-motivated incidents, the on-campus locations of physical safe spaces and how the campus climate affects people of color.
Individual groups consolidated by the end of the seminar to share unique viewpoints from individuals. Aycel Villalobos, a junior at CU, appreciated the goal of the workshop.
“I think it was good to get our ideas out there,” Villalobos said.”I didn’t even know that we had [these issues] on campus.”
For the majority of participants, implementing a zero-tolerance policy is key to creating a more comforting atmosphere for students and faculty of color. Discussion boomed about making all bias-motivated incidents known around campus and Boulder. The solution lies in awareness and making people see that this is a serious problem.
This isn’t CU administration’s first attempt at promoting ethnic and racial inclusivity, nor is it their last. In October of 2015, Chancellor DiStefano released a statement concerning CU’s push toward developing a campus where “people are not singled out, or marginalized because of their differences. Rather they are viewed as foundational to a vibrant community of learning. This statement was closely followed by a diversity and inclusion summit in November 2015.
These events are just one step on the road toward a campus marked by ethnic and racial inclusion.
