The recently formed Diversity Awareness Task Force is moving forward with its plans to increase diversity awareness.
University Park Undergraduate Association President Courtney Lennartz created the task force after a photo surfaced depicting members of the Chi Omega sorority that the Penn State Panhellenic Council deemed “offensive.”
During the fall semester, the task force met for the first time in December to determine a plan of action, which included the formation of subcommittees and the decision to reach out to the administration.
The task force is currently working on a statement that will be presented at the Jan. 15 Faculty Senate Council meeting, Ryan Brown, education subcommittee chair, said. The statement is a collaborative effort within the task force.
Spencer Malloy , chair of the assembly for UPUA, said the statement aims to show “how diversity curricula is a tool in the toolkit to make Penn State the most welcoming place possible.”
The chairs of the policy, education and direct action committees, as well as other students, have worked on the statement, Brian Aynardi, policy subcommittee said via email.
The statement deals with the implementation of “structured courses for cultural education,” Brown (senior-integrative arts) said. More broadly, it asks the Faculty Senate for support in the education of the Penn State student body regarding diversity awareness, Aynardi (graduate-plant pathology) said.
For Malloy (senior-agroecology and philosophy), collaboration and cooperation is an essential element in drafting the statement.
“We really want administrators and faculty members to come together with students to take a good look at diversity curricula at Penn State,” Malloy said.
So far he said he has been encouraged by the student response to the task force, adding that “everything has flowed together really nicely.”
Aynardi also emphasized the importance of the collaborative nature of the statement.
“The most important thing students should know is that an extensive group of students, representing numerous culturally diverse groups and student government organizations are working collaboratively on this effort, with the goal that all students feel they are respected members of the Penn State community,” Aynardi said.
