Making Chico State a better place by recruiting students and faculty of color was the topic of interest at Conversations on Diversity on Dec. 8.
The discussion covered how the campus could be a better environment for ethnic minorities.
There were racist incidents on campus last year, said Tracy Butts, Chico State African American literature professor.
“What is the word that makes white people cry? The answer is racist,” Butts said.
At the same time as eliminating racists on campus, ethnic students need to be successful in school. To be successful, students need to be mentored, said multicultural and gender studies professor Susan Place.
“We need to make sure that when they get here they find support they need, so they can feel they have community and succeed,” Place said.
For example, Chico State used to have a special language laboratory for non-English speakers, which will open again in the spring.
Other than ideas on eliminating racism on campus, some participants debated hotly whether all members of an ethnic group should be seen together as a group or individually. Some people didn’t agree with generalizing ethnic groups because they said it creates stereotypes. But one participant said having an idea about a particular group is important.
Conversations on Diversity was one of a series of discussions sponsored by the Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies and Building Bridges.
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