DRAFT- OCTOBER 2, 2000
Since Grinnell College's inception, it has been on the leading edge of progressive social thought and support for those who were discriminated against. Grinnell was the first institution west of the Mississippi to award a degree to a black person; the College was a stop on the Underground Railroad; the College challenged social conventions from the pulpit, the classroom, and various campus fora over the years. Our graduates have included social reformers and change agents and faculty and administrators at other institutions or outside academe who have dedicated themselves to serving others. Yet, with all that, the College has never achieved more than modest numbers of diverse students, faculty, and staff.
Consistent with our history, Grinnell College's core principles include the belief that mutual respect and individual responsibility undergird relationships among students, faculty, and staff in a diverse, supportive community. We believe that providing our students a more diverse learning environment will better prepare them for personal and professional success in an increasingly global and diverse world. We all recognize the importance, at this juncture, of promoting a culture of diversity and a climate of respect at the College and within the community.
As a result of discussion and ferment last spring, we started a campus dialogue on enhancing diversity at Grinnell. What emerged from this dialogue was the recognition that we need to do more. Over the summer, a committee--Bob Grey, Katya Azoulay, Jonathan Brand, and I-- drafted a document on faculty diversity which was submitted to the Executive Council in August. The Executive Council has now discussed the document, rewritten it, and approved a set of initiatives aimed specifically at enhancing the processes for obtaining a more diverse faculty.
Increasing the faculty diversity is but one piece. We must also consider initiatives on diversity as it relates to admissions, student affairs, staff hiring, and the community, all set out below, if we are to succeed. Our initiatives must also address campus climate. For resolving issues of climate is essential if we hope to achieve and maintain greater diversity at Grinnell and ultimately ensure an environment most conducive to learning. In sum, this paper seeks to document past and present initiatives as well as suggest future ones.
The College values diversity in the broadest sense as a prerequisite to a robust and dynamic learning environment. Many realize, however, that we need to narrow the immediate definition of diversity as a reflection of our most pressing needs. As with the Faculty Diversity Initiative, we intend to focus our efforts, discussed below, on increasing the representation of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Accordingly, for the remainder of this document, as with the Faculty Diversity Initiative, our use of the term "diversity" connotes membership in one of these groups. This document also uses the term "multicultural" to refer to a broader array of interests which includes diverse students as defined above, international students, students of different religious beliefs, and students of various orientations.
It is not intended that the proposals set out here should be the final word on diversity. We may find that some things work and others do not. Further adjustments will be needed over time. Most importantly, I plan to implement proposals in this paper after we have had a reasonable opportunity to discuss them and set our priorities among them.
Campus Climate
There have been indirect efforts to improve the campus climate such as by increasing the number of diverse students and faculty. Beyond these efforts, there has been and continues to be significant discussion both here and in other places about undertaking an effort through a variety of measures to address directly the issue of climate for diverse people. For instance, facilitators are occasionally brought in to encourage faculty and non-diverse students to discuss concerns, fears, and expectations of increased numbers of diverse faculty, students, and staff. Grinnell College has used such facilitators in the past and will do so in the future.
Efforts to address directly what are referred to as climate issues occasionally collide with some of the crucial features of academic life that all of us prize. For instance, faculty are appropriately accorded extremely broad latitude and freedom in the conduct of their classes and also in their scholarly writings. This latitude encompasses protection for expressing or teaching ideas some or many or most of us might find offensive or false. This protection is not subject to invasion or compromise in an institution of serious intellectual and academic purpose. Similarly, students are accorded wide leeway in what they say to ensure that they grow and develop intellectually while at Grinnell and other colleges. We protect false or wrong speech because in the long run we believe that having all speech out in the open is beneficial and will encourage more growth than if speech is curtailed or limited even for what appear to be socially ameliorative reasons.
The protection of freedom of speech and expression is not without limitation. It does not extend to persistent direct verbal or written harassment of an individual, incitements to violence, or the encouragement of conspiracies to violate the law of Iowa or the United States. But in an academic institution, we generally resolve doubts in favor of free speech and expression even if it sometimes leads to discomfort and anger.
The delicate issue that weaves itself through efforts to address our climate is primarily, therefore, a function of not wishing to inhibit free expression. But there are other complexities in addressing something subjective and fluid like "climate." There is only an emerging accepted body of information as to what creates and fosters a climate that is negative for diversity. And beyond that, there is no widely adhered to set of prescriptions for ameliorating a negative climate.
Thus, there is no final word that can be spoken on how to address or not address climate issues. It is an evolving and complex matter. To improve our climate, we should:
Appoint a task force to study effective methods and strategies for improving the climate on campus and in the City of Grinnell. Create an incident response team to respond to bias incidents when they occur. This group could conduct educational programming and raise awareness about the incidents that occur while providing support for those individuals who were targeted. In sum, although climate is but one part, it is essential that we provide a healthy academic climate because every other initiative, including faculty and staff appointments, admissions, retention, is linked to it.
II. Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Affairs
One of Grinnell College's major commitments is to attract a diversity of peoples and perspectives. To educate students fully, the College needs to be welcoming, supportive, and understanding of different cultures and beliefs. The Offices of Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Affairs are committed to this effort. This section of this paper describes past, current, and proposed initiatives in the admission, financial aid, and student affairs areas. Members of the campus community should feel free to make suggestions and comments to Thomas Crady, Vice President for Student Services; Jim Sumner, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid; Michael Sims, Interim Dean of Student Services; and Jennifer Krohn, Dean of Residence Life.
A. Admission Strategies
The Offices of Admission and Financial Aid aims to enroll and retain a very diverse and academically superior student body in response to goals agreed upon by the College pursuant to faculty policy and budget constraints. For admissions and financial aid purposes diversity means ethnic, racial, religious, socio-economic and geographic diversity. Enrolling a diverse and academically excellent student body is best accomplished by communicating broadly with the community, setting specific goals, developing a plan to meet those goals in conjunction with the Admission and Financial Aid Committee, and selecting applicants who are well matched to the College.
A number of new initiatives were implemented last year by the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid. Some of these initiatives were immediately successful and some were not. Others will require more time to be effective. The College received 403 applications from diverse students compared to 330 last year. A total of 177 diverse students were offered admission to the College compared to 157 last year. The number of new African American students increased this past year to 18 from 13 last year and 11 the year before. The number of new Asian American students who enrolled for Fall 2000 dropped from 19 to 15 students; the number of new Latino students who enrolled for Fall 2000 dropped from 22 to 15. A total of 39 international students enrolled; the same number as last year.
Current Programs
Several Fund for Excellence proposals, focusing on diversity recruiting, were written by the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid in the spring of 1999. Almost all were approved and implemented by the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid. Money from the Fund for Excellence has allowed the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid to devote significant resources to recruiting diverse students. These programs are summarized below.
1. In the mid-1980s, Chicago was the top Grinnell market for seeking diverse students. We had a Chicago admissions representative but this position was eliminated in the early 1990's and the number of African American matriculants declined significantly. The Office re-created the position last summer using a new structure under which the position was split between the Office of Admission and Alumni Affairs and Development. Marlene Jacks, a native of Chicago, became Associate Dean/Chicago Representative last August. She focused her activities on making contacts with schools, high school counselors, church leaders, and agencies in Chicago and the Quad Cities that work with high school seniors. This summer Jim Sumner, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, re-structured the position once again so Marlene could work for the Office of Admission full-time.
2. In June, Lisa Alexander, an experienced admission officer and Grinnell College graduate, was appointed Multicultural Coordinator and Assistant Dean of Admission. She will coordinate the diversity efforts with Jim Sumner.
3. Carmen Abdullah in the Office of Admission worked with the Student Advisory Committee on Multicultural Admission (SACOMA) to involve current diverse students in the recruiting process and to create internships in the Office of Admission for diverse students. During fly-in weekends, many students from ASIA, SOL, CBS, and ISO met with prospective students. This program will be continued and two SACOMA interns have been hired for the 2000-2001 year.
4. The Office of Admission sponsored several diversity fly-in programs. The Office sponsored two fly-in programs for prospective students and two fly-in programs for admitted students. The goal of this program is to bring students to campus with their expenses paid for an in-depth visit to fully familiarize each of them with Grinnell. The number of students brought to campus this past recruiting year was the highest ever.
5. The financial aid budget for international students was increased this past year with monies from the Fund for Excellence to increase the percentage of full demonstrated need that the College would meet for international students.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs worked together with the Financial Aid Office to nominate eight students for the President Gates Scholarship. Three out of the eight received the scholarship in its first year. Beginning last fall, loans were reduced in the financial aid packages for diverse students in their first year and replaced with an institutional grant in an effort to be more competitive with our peers in attracting diverse students. Last spring, the Office of Admission sponsored a second annual high school counselor conference in an effort to familiarize counselors with Grinnell College. Invitations were sent to a large number of counselors at schools that have a high number of diverse students in their student bodies. Eight counselors came to campus for the conference last May and met with the major administrators at the College, saw our facilities, and learned about our programs. We plan to continue this in the future. The Office of Admission hosted the National Hispanic Institute (NHI) Great Debate during the summer of 1999. Approximately 100 students and parents came to campus and stayed in our residence halls for several days and met with faculty, staff, and students at the College.
10. During the Banning High School Transcontinental Tour, approximately 45 diverse students from Los Angeles visited Grinnell and other colleges this summer to familiarize themselves with schools in the Midwest and East. Students spent time learning about all aspects of Grinnell.
11. A faculty outreach program was implemented last spring. This program was created to increase the interaction between our faculty and prospective students. Many faculty (including the President) called admitted students to address their questions and to encourage them to come to Grinnell.
Proposals
1. Maintain and refine existing programs aimed at enrolling more diverse students.
2. Increase the diversity of the Admission and Financial Aid staffs as opportunities occur.
3. Provide diversity awareness training for both the Admission and Financial Aid staffs.
4. Target more secondary schools in areas with high populations of diverse students for visits and interviews.
5. Develop special efforts to recruit more Iowa and other near-by diverse students.
6. Aim to enroll 25 African American, 25 Asian, 25 Latino, and 5 Native American first-year students for the 2001-2002 year.
Aim to enroll a minimum of 30 percent of diverse students by the year 2005. Continue to enroll a substantial number of first-year and transfer international students. Create a parallel scholarship program to our National Merit Scholars for nationally recognized scholars on subjects related to diversity or who are diverse themselves. Continue to develop summer programs and programs like the "I Have a Dream Program" that expose diverse students to the liberal arts and Grinnell.
B. Student Affairs Strategies
The Office of Student Affairs aims to provide programs and services that help each student to be academically successful and to develop personally. These programs and services are designed to reflect the College's commitment to excellence in the liberal arts, diversity in the community, and social responsibility. We believe that a positive residential learning environment and culture incorporating student self-governance is integral to the College's mission. Specifically, we seek to enhance each student's ability to:
- * Achieve academic excellence through a positive living-and-learning environment.
- * Appreciate and learn from a diversity of peoples and perspectives.
- * Develop personal and professional skills.
- * Cultivate a sense of personal and social responsibility.
- * Grow in a secure environment and culture in which each student can expand his or her interests and experiment to learn skills and ideas.
While the Office of Student Affairs offers many important programs and services that are designed to support diverse students, there have been incidents of racism and homophobia both in town and on campus including last year. Members of the Student Affairs staff helped students organize a march to Central Park to raise awareness about these incidents, but more needs to be done.
Current Programs
The Multicultural Affairs Office includes the Dean for Student Services, three Multicultural Counselors who work with CBS, SOL, ASIA, and the Diversity Coalition, and the Director of International Student Services. Siclinda Canty-Elliott, Dean of Student Services, left the College last spring to become the Dean of Students at Hollins College in Virginia. Dean Canty-Elliott developed a fine Multicultural Affairs Program that has become a model for schools of our size. Michael Sims was appointed Interim Dean of Student Services and is planning to continue the programs implemented by Dean Canty-Elliott. Past and current programs are summarized below.
1. The last four years, the Office of Multicultural Affairs co-sponsored a conference with the Africana Studies Concentration entitled "The Economy of Racial Identities Within and Across Disciplinary Boundaries." The conference, with over 300 people in attendance, consisted of six panels with 35 students, faculty, and alumni presenting papers.
2. The Office also co-sponsored the Alumni Sharing Knowledge program with the New Science Project to bring back to campus several alumni to share their experiences with medical schools. Tasha Johnson and Sonovia Riley Johnson came back to campus to meet with faculty, staff, and students to discuss the medical school entrance process and what it is like to be medical students.
3. The Black Cultural Center was renovated and re-dedicated this past year. The re-dedication was funded with monies from the Fund for Excellence. Wanda Sims organized this re-dedication. Activities included a Black Alumni/Student Art Exhibit, Re-dedication Ceremony, Cooking Demonstrations, Children's Story Hour, Music Festival, and a concert with the Ron Ivory Band from Denver, Colorado. Last year the Multicultural Affairs Office sponsored a Taste of the World picnic for members of the campus. More than 150 faculty, staff, and students attended the event, and 19 faculty and staff volunteered to cook and serve food.
4. The Faculty Mentoring Program has been in existence for many years and continues to be highly utilized by students. This past year 24 members of the faculty and 22 students participated in this program.
5. The Multicultural Orientation Program is designed to assist new students in making the transition to the College. Staff train Peer Assistants in a Peer Connections Institute to facilitate Multicultural Orientation and to serve as Mentors throughout the year. Eighteen students attended the program this fall. Twenty-seven students volunteered their time as Peer Mentors to assist the students who participated in the program.
6. The Chaplain's Office sponsored numerous programs focusing on multicultural issues. These included High Holy Day services for Jewish students and a brown bag lunch series that included speakers such as President Osgood, Jim Swartz, Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, and members of the Executive Council. Black Church is a program held in Herrick Chapel that has gained popularity this last year. The Chaplain's Office also works with emerging religious groups such as the Muslim prayer group.
7. CBS sponsored a number of programs and activities this past year. With the assistance of Wanda Sims, CBS held a retreat in Des Moines last fall. A total of 26 students attended. The retreat focused on get-acquainted activities and student transitions. Black Awareness Week was held October 3-9 and several activities were organized for the campus. In December a holiday dinner was held for African American faculty, staff, and students. During Black History Month CBS sponsored a food bazaar, fashion show, dance, and community dinner. In May a senior dinner was organized to honor graduating seniors.
8. ASIA was very active last year as well. Students organized a food bazaar, a symposium that included speaker Renee Tajima-Pena, a talent show, and a documentary. Several students traveled to Minneapolis to attend an Asian student conference.
9. SOL sponsored several activities last year as well. In the fall, members of the group went on a retreat to begin the planning of Latino Awareness Week, and Hispanic Heritage Month. One of the highlights of the year was the dedication of the Latino Collection in Burling Library. Other activities sponsored by SOL included two Latino literature nights, food bazaar, movie nights, speakers on Latino issues, and special dinners in the dining halls for all students.
10. The International Student Organization sponsored International Café nights combined with presentations and artifacts from different cultures. The Office held a comprehensive extended orientation program for new students, shopping trips to nearby cities, a tax workshop, programs during Diversity Week, and the annual cultural evening with a fashion show. Other programs included a host family picnic, ice cream social, formal banquet, international and multicultural scholar reception, and a graduate brunch.
11. The Diversity Coalition took the lead in planning and implementing a controversial diversity awareness program called "Archie Bunker's Neighborhood" at Grinnell Senior High following a number of incidents at the school.
12. Each year the Office of International Student Services coordinates the Host Family program, which matches new students with individuals or families in the community. The office also nominates and coordinates student participation in the International Fellows Program, organized by the Stanley Foundation and the Iowa Council for International Understanding, and in the International Relations Committee of the Iowa Legislature. Past programs sponsored by the Office included a presentation on naming systems in China and Ghana, an International Quiz Bowl, and special workshops focusing on immigration and career options. Break activities are sponsored by both the Office and ISO to help make long breaks less challenging for international students. ISO also sponsored two brown bag lunch activities, focusing on Chinese/Japanese calligraphy and Nepali language. The International Speakers Program operates to create opportunities for international students to share cultural perspectives with the Grinnell community.
Proposals
1. Create multicultural space on campus. The lack of space for the multicultural groups has been a long-standing concern for diverse students and needs to be addressed. The planning process for a new campus center is beginning this fall and multicultural space is one of the key components of this proposed new building.
2. Continue to increase the diversity of the Student Affairs staff as positions become available in the Student Affairs Office. The Office will continue to work to increase the number of multicultural student staff who are employed by the Residence Life Office.
5. Continue the work of the Multicultural Affairs Office and the Office of Admission to expand services for Native American students.
6. Continue to improve and strengthen diversity programs offered by Student Affairs.
7. Create a student committee to advise the Vice President for Student Services and Dean for Student Services on diversity issues and programs.
Staff Recruitment and Retention
As discussed in section IV., Grinnell College is situated in an overwhelmingly white region. As a result, it is relatively difficult for the College to recruit a staff that reflects the overall diversity of the United States. However, within the context of creating a learning environment that reflects our increasingly global and diverse world, we must make concerted efforts at recruiting and retaining a more diverse staff. This is particularly so at a college such as Grinnell where close collaboration and personal interaction among the faculty, students, and staff is at the heart of our identity. To that end, Grinnell College recognizes the importance of this and needs to craft programs aimed at attracting and retaining employees who will increase our overall diversity.
A. Proposals: Recruitment and Retention Strategies
Recruitment of traditionally underrepresented minorities requires college administrators to look outside the usual placement of an advertisement in the local paper or advertising flyer. As the data shows elsewhere in this document, ethnic minority numbers though growing in the customary recruitment area, still remain far short of the College's goals in this area. A capable and competent cadre of workers from the surrounding locale has served, and continues to serve, the College very well. However, if the college is to diversify its staff, it will need to attract employees from Des Moines, Marshalltown, and other larger communities. Recruitment strategies will need to consider transportation, benefits (including health insurance and retirement), housing, the quality and nature of positions offered, and quality of life both at the College and in the City of Grinnell.
1. Large employers in Des Moines have offered transportation subsidies to both private vehicle drivers and riders of mass transportation. The aim has been to encourage employees to use mass transportation in the form of carpools, city buses, and interurban buses. Such subsidies have made traveling from Ames and other communities affordable and less stressful for the environment. We could consider various forms of transportation assistance to help us to attract diverse candidates from Des Moines and Marshalltown.
2. Many workers today are concerned about health insurance for short-term care as well as major medical needs. As the College is continuing a review of its health and other benefits plans, this would be an excellent time to consider how the health insurance benefit might be used as a recruitment tool. In similar fashion, the College's contribution to TIAA-CREF, and other retirement plans, provides another means of differentiating this employer from others. Aggressively marketing health and retirement benefits, prudently structured and offered, might serve to increase the available pool of applicants (both minority and non-minority) and eventually workers. The College's increased contribution for family planned coverage and also its creation of several new categories of health benefit coverage have produced a very positive reaction from many in the work force. Other changes may follow.
3. Opportunities for educational advancement either at the College or in conjunction with other institutions can also be a part of a coherent strategy to provide for better recruitment and retention of all workers as well as newly hired diverse employees. Flexible work schedules, consistent with the College's mission of providing service to support quality education, can be reviewed and structured to assist in the attraction of a diverse group of candidates.
4. As a final set of suggestions, it seems wise to increase the visibility of diversity in our searches particularly for senior administrative officials, so from now on the President has decided that the Diversity Officer will sit on search committees, when used, and interview each finalist for such positions.
5. A number of initiatives, discussed below, are currently underway within the City of Grinnell that will provide a basis for enriching further the quality of life and employment opportunities within the city.
Retention
Retention is a harder matter to address involving as it does job satisfaction, job performance and, of course, the entire range of conditions of employment such as transportation, benefits, housing, and educational opportunities. The campus climate is another major aspect of recruitment and retention. In fact, there appears to be a degree of unhappiness with the campus climate among diverse employees that is likely not recognized and/or understood by the majority of campus members.
The strategies outlined above for recruitment of more diverse applicants, if successful, will assist somewhat in alleviating the sense of aloneness experienced by many diverse employees within the campus and city community. Specific to the campus, however, the College must come to accept difference and equality of talent and skills in a more robust way. There is no definite way in which the campus can assure that acceptance. As with the law, the College can only set standards of behavior but it cannot delve into the attitudes, opinions, and lack of knowledgeable experience regarding minorities of its staff. A strategy of employee developmental training should include linking the College's success to the increase and acceptance of diverse employees, as well as students and faculty.
The College's mission statement should be provided to each employee and small group discussions of the College's core values and mission statement, led by senior staff, should be undertaken. The discussions would be designed to have each employee understand how his or her role contributes to the overall success of the mission of the College. As a part of those discussions, competent, knowledgeable, and trained facilitators might be employed to assist in the understanding of differing cultures and experience of diverse groups. A process of identifying such facilitators can begin immediately while a structure to accomplish such discussions is being developed.
IV. Community Issues
Grinnell College can achieve greater diversity through efforts to enhance the community in which the College is located. There should be efforts targeted at establishing a wider array of community institutions which might help attract and retain, specifically, diverse people. There can also be efforts aimed at making our community a place to which all people-- faculty, students, and staff--regardless of ethnic or racial background, wish to live.
A. Demographics---Iowa Demographics
The State of Iowa has a significantly smaller representation of traditionally underrepresented minority groups than does the entire nation. Based upon the 1990 Census, the State of Iowa demographics are as follows:
White population: 2,664,883 (95.9%)
Black population 48,417 (1.7%)
American Indian population 7,716 (.3%)
Asian & Pacific Islander population 25,715 (.9%)
Hispanic population 32,643 (1.2%)
To be sure, as of 1998, it is estimated that the proportion of minority groups had increased in Iowa. However, the numbers remain much lower than in the entire nation. The Iowa demographics are as follows:
White population: 2,709,269 (94.5%)
Black population 56,880 (2%)
American Indian population 8,456 (.3%)
Asian & Pacific Islander population 36,242 (1.3%)
Hispanic population 56,937 (2%)
Poweshiek County Demographics
Poweshiek County, the county in which Grinnell is situated, is less diverse than the State of Iowa. In fact, the data demonstrate the relative lack of diversity is acute in specific regions, particularly those not embodying an urban area. The estimated demographics of Poweshiek County as taken from the 1990 Census are as follows:
White population: 18,676 (98.1%)
Black population 88 (.5%)
American Indian population 23(.1%)
Asian & Pacific Islander population 192 (1%)
Hispanic population 68(.4%)
In the eight years following the 1990 Census, there has been an increase in the proportion of minority groups in Poweshiek County but it still remains below the overall proportions in the State of Iowa (or the nation). It is estimated that the 1998 demographics in Poweshiek County were as follows:
White population: 18,411 (97.6%)
Black population 96 (.5%)
American Indian population 26 (.1%)
Asian & Pacific Islander population 244 (1.3%)
Hispanic population 106 (.6%)
These data establish what many of us already know: we are situated in an overwhelmingly white region. Unlike other states such as New York, Illinois and California, this relative lack of diversity means that we also frequently lack the infrastructure to meet the needs of many diverse people. This, however, has not stopped certain Grinnell institutions from diversifying their workforces. Most notably, the Grinnell Regional Medical Center has been exemplary in medical staffing efforts. As of August 15, 2000, there are 36 physicians on its staff: four are African Americans, one is a black South African, one is Asian, and one is from Pakistan. In sum, almost 20% of the physicians at the Medical Center are not white.
B. Focused Community Initiatives
Fundamentally, Grinnell has something to offer that not many other towns can offer. We have a prestigious higher educational institution which offers a wide range of programs to the community-at-large. We have a successful medical center. We have a healthy and growing business sector. We have a friendly and relatively safe community. But, we can and should seek to do more. We should consider implementing a variety of initiatives, many hopefully spearheaded by the college's new Office of Community Enhancement in partnership with other community organizations, that are aimed at establishing a wider range of services as part of a cultural infrastructure for a more diverse group of community members. For example, we could:
Seek to bring a greater diversity of religious institutions to Grinnell; Consider ways to encourage the establishment of more ethnically diverse restaurants; Attract more varied services, such as a hair salon that is geared to different needs; and Contact AT&T cable to propose that it carry a wider variety of channels such as BET or a few international options. To be sure, there are other steps we can take, many of which will likely flow from exploring what people would like to see.
C. General Community Initiatives
There are also a number of initiatives that we could contemplate aimed not so much at making Grinnell more inviting to a more diverse group of people, but to everyone and in so doing we might also encourage more diverse people to come here.
That is, a part of making Grinnell a more diverse community is a function of making it a place in which anyone of any racial or ethnic background would wish to live. For example, the Office of Community Enhancement could collaborate with appropriate individuals, entrepreneurs, and governmental officials to:
Increase the downtown retail activity which could include, for one, a bookstore; Develop new, affordable housing of high quality, including rental properties; Attract more entertainment options, including cinemas and even bars that might offer live musical entertainment; Offer more varied employment opportunities for faculty and staff spouses and partners; and Ensure that our schools, including day-care institutions, are top-rate. Structure Because this area is underdeveloped and changing, I think we need a mechanism to give regular advice to the President about this issue. I have thought about how to do this and believe, as I wrote in my paper of December, 1999, that we need a single overall campus committee, currently called the Affirmative Action Committee, to serve this function. But beyond this, I also think we need staff and research support. We have made a commitment to having a full-time Diversity Officer and Frank Thomas is ably filling this job. I believe all of us need to give Frank or whoever else might eventually fill this position our support and assistance as we attempt to raise the profile of the job and its function in many aspects of campus life. In addition to Frank Thomas, I am considering engaging a faculty member to provide research support to Frank Thomas, myself, and other administrators about new efforts elsewhere or promising research to ensure that as we move forward we have the best possible information. Research may be inconclusive or contradictory but we owe it to ourselves to find out what is going on elsewhere and see if there are findings or programs that are of significance to our efforts.
Conclusion
As one works through the various issues related to fostering diversity at Grinnell, one can not help but be struck by the fact that this important area is both highly fluid and developing. Any program or prescription for change and improvement must likewise be capable of change and adjustment in light of experience. We must remain committed to achieving diversity and recognize that no one initiative can make this happen. We need improvement in a number of areas: in our faculty and staff hiring; in our admissions; in our efforts to retain faculty, students and staff; in our community; and in our overall climate, all with the ultimate goal of enhancing the learning environment for our students.
