| Background: In May 1998, the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System unanimously adopted Plan 2008 whose goals were the following: 1. Increase the number of Wisconsin high school graduates of color who apply, are accepted, and enroll at UW System institutions. 2. Encourage partnerships that build the educational pipeline by reaching children and their parents at an earlier age. 3. Close the gap in educational achievement, by bringing retention and graduation rates for students of color in line with those of the student body as a whole. 4. Increase the amount of financial aid available to needy students and reduce their reliance on loans. 5. Increase the number of faculty, academic staff, classified staff and administrators of color, so that they are represented in the UW System workforce in proportion to their current availability in relevant job pools. In addition, work to increase their future availability as potential employees. 6. Foster institutional environments and course development that enhance learning and a respect for racial and ethnic diversity. 7. Improve accountability of the UW System and its institutions. Probably the most visible and successful program within Plan 2008 that addresses goals no. 1 and 2 is PEOPLE (Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence), an innovative program that prepares minority and disadvantaged youth* for college from as early as second grade by providing after-school enrichment and campus visits to the college. In response to the other goals, the UW initiated several programs including, but not limited to, partnerships with community organizations and local schools in the hopes of improving the "diversity climate" of the university. Within-campus initiatives were likewise being continued and made stronger under the leadership of Bernice Durand, the Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate. As part of Plan 2008, the UW holds an annual Diversity Plan Campus Forums to assess the status of Plan 2008, what areas have succeeded, and what need improvement. The forum offers simultaneous or repeat discussions to get feedback from staff, students, faculty, and community as to "where to go from here." This year's day-long event was held on Sept. 28 at the Memorial Union. As expected, there was an exhibit showing the university's best practices, aptly described as "A Resource for Creating Community at UW-Madison." It included not only the PEOPLE program exhibit, but others such as the Office for Equity and Diversity's Learning Communities (safe and respectful environments to engage in sustained dialogue within a diverse group of staff/faculty members for the purpose of building inclusive curricula and classrooms as one goal) and SEED, a social justice seminar for students to share their experiences/differences; as well as the Cultural Linguistic Services-OHRD's "Bridging Cross-Cultural Communication" program based on language, cultural sensitivity and technological resources. "We've been doing this annual event at least the last eight years," Chancellor John Wiley said in a brief interview with Asian Wisconzine before the forums started. "I think it's a very good opportunity for the entire university community to pause and take stock, figure out how we're doing, what things are improving, what things need more work, and that we will always find things that are working and other things that are not working." The plans then have to be revised depending on such evaluations, Wiley said. He also gave Asian Wisconzine an update of the discussion he had with the Hmong community at the United Asian Services of Wisconsin last summer, saying he'll be an upcoming guest for a Hmong radio program. "I'm happy to do it," he said. "We'll maintain contact with the community." "I think we've made a lot of progress in the undergraduate number of ethnic minority students," Vice Provost Bernice Durand said. "Not so much in the graduate students and not so much in the staff; but we have made some progress, especially in our hiring rates of faculty. And if you look at the data for the freshman class, it's been growing and growing and growing every year. So we're now up to, I think, it's 500 in our entering new student classes. So that's great, but I would say that in my role as vice provost for diversity and climate, that the climate piece is absolutely the most essential piece to attract more students of color here and retain them. They come here because of the university's reputation, and so we also want to make sure that they're comfortable here. Weekly I hear about students who are having problems because of their race. Until there are very few of those complaints, I think that we won't feel that we have a good climate." She thinks the "diversity climate" has improved a great deal as evidenced by the cooperation that went into the day's event. New this year was an exhibit of Hmong culture at Tripp Commons, consisting of panels of photos and writeups describing the history of the Hmong and their military alliance with the United States during the Vietnam War; traditional clothing and tools; and beautiful quilts that tell many stories in the Hmong community. Pao Thao, who coordinates the Southeast Asian American Students Academic Service Program at UW-Madison, and May Lee Moua-Vue, a student adviser at UW-International Student Services, were on hand answering questions from guests and visitors. Keynote Speech highlighted the Hmong The keynote speech of Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt (left), photo-journalist, Nobel Prize nominee for her work on behalf of the Hmong, and author of "Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, The Americans, and The Secret Wars for Laos, 1972-1992" (Indiana University Press), focused on why the Hmong are now in Wisconsin. She explained that the Hmong did not choose to be here, that the so-called 'Secret War' was in fact not 'secret' at all as it was funded by the U.S. Congress and authorized by the late President John F. Kennedy, and that the Hmong suffered and sacrificed thousands of lives to save American soldiers. Hamilton-Merritt didn't mince words when she said that the Hmong deserve more than the kind of treatment many of them are receiving from this society. "They want to be recognized for their culture and their struggles." Hamilton-Merritt shared with the huge audience some of the photographs she took during the war. "This will help you understand why the Hmong are here," she said. "I have never encountered a Hmong elder who ever wanted to come to the United States. They all want to go back to Laos, to their mountain farms, back to their villages and dig up their silver bars and necklace, the pictures of their loved ones that they had hidden when the Communists began to chase them and they had to run." The images showed a people ravaged by war, diseases, and death. "They were so eager to help the Americans because they believed the United States was the greatest country on Earth, and that the Hmong and the Americans will be friends forever," Hamilton-Merritt said. "Let us become engaged. Let us change our attitude. Let's change our compassion for a very special group of people." At the end of her speech, Hamilton-Merritt called the Hmong in the audience to come up to the stage to be recognized and later she hugged each one of them as they left the stage to return to their seats. * Note: PEOPLE serves the following traditionally underreprepresented student populations: African American, Latino/a, Puerto Rican, Chicano/a; Southeast Asian American (Hmong, Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese); and/or economically disadvantaged or 1st generation college students. |
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| Heidi M. Pascual* Publisher & Editor, Asian Wisconzine (The longest running and most professionaly made publication for Asian Americans in Wisconsin) * 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA) |
| Preserving our past while building for our future |
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| UW 8th Annual Diversity Plan 2008 Campus Forums: A focus on change |
| (L-R) UW-Vice Provost Bernice Durand; May Lee Moua-Vue (International Students Program); UW Chancellor John Wiley; and Pao Thao (Coordinator, Southeast Asian American Students Academic Service Program) |
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Check out our new feature at www.asianwisconzine: Video Reports of Heidi M. Pascual via YouTube stream! Another FIRST from Asian Wisconzine! |