Faculty Senate this month will circulate a proposal among University groups suggesting students take a mandatory diversity requirement of one in-depth study course or several "diversity enhanced" courses.

Discussion on the proposal and its goals will be taken at this month's Senate meeting and formal legislation is expected in either March or April, said Jerry Covert, associate dean of undergraduate education.

According to an early version of the report, "associate and baccalaureate students would be required to take either one three-credit 'diversity' course or four 'diversity enhanced courses.' "

A diversity course would focus on in-depth study of one issue related to racial, ethnic, gender and/or global perspectives. A course that is designated as "diversity enhanced" would devote 25 percent of its time to these issues.

The diversity requirement's goals include increasing the knowledge of faculty and students to contributions of underrepresented groups and the societal impact of the developing global community, according to the report.

Potential costs of the requirement listed in the report included salaries for a part-time coordinator for diversity courses, curriculum meetings and additional books, films and speakers.

During the next two weeks, the revised report will be presented to the Academic Assembly, the National Association for the Advancment of Colored People and Commonwealth campuses administrators.

Because one option of the first proposal would require only one three-credit course, the Academic Assembly is concerned the requirement will not achieve its goals, said Stephanie Bozym, the assembly's president.

The assembly has reviewed the initial proposal during the last two weeks, preparing to make recommendations to Faculty Senate, Boyzm said. The group is discussing an alternative to the Senate's recommendation that would request integrating different cultural perspectives into most courses, she said.

Bozym said students might circumvent the requirement's goal by only taking courses relating to their own background and not other cultures.

"Someone who's a racist is not going to take a black studies course," Bozym said.

While a course may not necessarily change a person's views, it is a step in combating ignorance, she said.

The Senate's proposed requirement targets incoming students beginning summer 1991.

The courses would not require a student to take additional credits but would fulfill both general education and diversity requirements.

The senate's committee on undergraduate instruction prepared the report in consultation with the curriculum diversity subcommittee of the President's Council on Undergraduate Recruitment and Retention, said Jerry Covert, associate dean for undergraduate education. Input from the Senate's two fall forensics sessions were taken into account, he added.