The heated debate about the role of diversity in the curriculum may not end any time soon.

Penn State President Graham Spanier does not believe more diversity course requirements should be added, but that diversity topics should be incorporated into more classes, he said during his annual fireside chat last week.

Though the University Faculty Senate discussed the issue last fall, it did not change the requirement.

Faculty Senate appointed a subcommittee to review the current diversity requirement. The committee hopes to address diversity issues by splitting up the requirements, Julia Simon, chair of the committee, said.

Simon said Faculty Senate wants to the change the diversity requirement into two categories. One aspect would focus on domestic diversity issues, and the other would have an international focus.

"We don't want to lose sight of the fact that cultures within the U.S. have a history of tension," she said.

Under the current requirements, students must take a three-credit diversity focus or international competence class, both of which can range from American studies to world geography.

"The main problem we're facing now is incorporating diversity into the curriculum without tacking on extra credits," Simon said, adding that Faculty Senate would like to see new legislation passed by the end of the semester.

Simon said students would not necessarily have to take separate classes to fulfill the proposed requirements.

"The big encouragement is for colleges to add diversity requirements into their majors," she said.

Members of the committee are working with colleges to determine the best ways to incorporate diversity in upper-level classes. This is easier with colleges such as the College of the Liberal Arts, but more difficult with colleges in the sciences, she said.

Sam Richards, a senior sociology lecturer, said he thinks the diversity requirement is largely dependent on the instructor.

Richards teaches Sociology 119 (Race and Ethnic Relations) and Sociology 409 (Inequality in America), which students often take to fulfill general education requirements. Many students choose the upper-level class because of its smaller size and broader range of content, but don't have the background needed to succeed in it, he said.

"I think we need to find more effective ways of incorporating diversity into the curriculum," said Terrell Jones, vice-provost for educational equity, although he said he was unsure of how to accomplish this goal.