Assessing the Diversity Needs of Eastern Oregon

University

Professional Development Module Eastern Oregon University

University of Oregon

Center on Diversity and Community

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing

can be changed until it is faced.”

-James Baldwin

Mini “Survey” with EOU Community

Members• Perception of campus climate

•EOU’s priority needs/concerns in terms of diversity

• Goals/Hopes

EOU Needs Assessment: Main Themes

• Poor relationship with administration

• Perceived lack of leadership• Major communication issues• Infrastructure issues• Low morale• Not knowing how to talk to one

another about diversity issues• Relationship between student-

athletes and general student population is strained

Poor Relationship with Administration

• Deep distrust • Lack of mutual respect • Perception that the

Administration not around very much

Perceived lack of leadership

• Unstable leadership with high turnover

• No ownership of diversity issues– Excuses offered: “I’m not

qualified”

• Perceived lack of follow through on important issues

• Reactive rather than pro-active• In a “fog” in terms of next steps

– “Where are we going? What are we doing? Nobody knows what to do”

Major Communication Issues• Either/or thinking about complex

issues– Forced to take sides

• Information from administration doesn’t flow down – “It’s difficult to get straight information

from on high”– “people end up hanging onto partial

truths”– “the administration talks to the press but

not to us”

• Faculty, staff, students don’t feel heard

• Policies are unclear, undeveloped and/or invisible– Information on website hard to find

Infrastructure Issues

• Perceived disconnect at all levels– Lack of skills, knowledge, awareness on

issues of diversity

• Role conflicts• No clear place/procedure to report

issues of bias/harassment • No clear place to voice concerns

– “what do you do if you have a problem with student affairs? Who do you go to then?”

• Focus on recruitment and not retention“Administrators think that throwing people

together should be enough”

Morale Issues• “It’s not a happy campus right now. There

needs to be some major changes right now.”

• fueled by several major issues – Budget– Low confidence in leadership– Controversial incidents

• -“being a small campus, things become very personal very quickly”

• Anger, resentment, disillusionment, distrust, loss of hope

• Students of color feeling demoralized, isolated, and scared– “walking around campus you hear comments”– “I am not a threat to this community or society”– Student athletes’ addresses printed in student

paper

Not Knowing how to Talk About Diversity Issues• Awkward and uncomfortable

– “it takes a crisis and a couple of students’ lives to talk about this”

• Lacking skills to facilitate conversations

• No clear definition of what is meant by diversity

• No agreement on its relative importance and value

• Being “conflict avoidant” is part of the culture

• The reality of Eastern Oregon: rural, isolated, White, conservative, distinct culture

Relationship b/t student-athletes and general student population is strained

• Athletes seen as removed from general student body

• Perception that athletes are above reproach/get away with things

• Issues compounded for male athletes of color – especially football players

• Lack of knowledge/relationship adds to distrust, stereotypes, and racism

EOU Goals and Hopes• Feeling heard by administration• Greater ownership of the issues by

administration (knowledge, awareness, and skills)

• Clear understanding of the importance and meaning of diversity

• Clear procedures for protocols• Diversity training for

administration, faculty, and staff• Plan/sense of next steps• “I want something to come out of

this (our visit) , not just a one day event, kumbaya, then it’s gone.”

Reasons for Committing to Diversity in Higher Education: • Demographic Argument

– Projections indicate that by 2050, White Americans will drop to 50% of the population

• Moral/Social Justice Argument– Redress historic/contemporary inequality

• Civic Argument– Civic value and responsibility of creating an

educated citizenry• Enrichment/Professional Standards*

Argument – Diversity brings new ways of thinking– Expectations within professions to be effective

with diverse populations• Political Argument

– Politically expedient to address • Economic/Global Argument

– Taking advantage of emerging markets (Editors’ Notes. New Directions for Teaching and

Learning, v49 1992)

In your leadership role you will be asked to justify why diversity initiatives are a compelling interest for EOU. Take a few

minutes to immerse yourself in one of the arguments for committing to

diversity in higher education.

Examples of Immediate Goals:• create non-punitive environment to

discuss issues • common definitions and understandings• sense of team/cohesiveness among

leadership• greater clarity about what it means to

EOU to commit to diversity • raise awareness• stronger knowledge base• instructional support (“left field”

moments)• clarify infrastructure and chain of

command

Building & Fortifying the Infrastructure for Diversity at EOU: Examples of Long Term Goals

• how to keep issues on the table with clear forum/channels to discuss

• how to move beyond diversity as a “competing demand”

• commitment to ongoing awareness, knowledge, skills development

• collective ownership of the issues • raising morale – striking balance

b/t positive and negative