UNM Faculty senate hears arguments for diversity requirement

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Undergraduates may face another core curriculum requirement.
UNM’s Division for Equity and Inclusion laid out its plan Tuesday afternoon at a Faculty Senate meeting for a proposed three-credit University-wide requirement.

The purpose of the requirement is to promote understanding of cultural groups that experience or have experienced unequal treatment in the U.S. or around the world, according to the Diversity Council Framework for Strategic Action.

Jozi De Leon, vice president for equity and inclusion, said the division has been crafting the document for at least a year.
“A diversity requirement is a real important one, as you know we have experienced hate and bias crimes on campus. These are things we should not tolerate on our campus and it’s time we address that,” De Leon said.

The Division for Equity and Inclusion said this requirement could help the University community to better communicate in the workplace or day-to-day encounters by teaching our students these values early, said Nancy López, director and co-founder of the Institute for the Study of Race and Social Justice.

Arizona State University already requires undergraduates take three diversity-related courses, and Texas A&M requires two courses.

“If we don’t embrace this, we’re going to be left behind,” López said.

UNM student Mia Weaver said that because the student body is already in an integrated society, she hasn’t given much thought to needing a course based on this subject.

“I haven’t given it much thought, I guess because we’re such a diverse university,” Weaver said. “I would say if it were a lot more than three credits I would opt against it for the simple purpose that it’s already hard to graduate in four years.”

Though the UNM Curriculum Committee has discussed the new requirement for more than a year, the DEI still needs to go through a process to get it approved, including getting the approval of the Board of Regents. It could be another two years before the requirement is implemented, López said.

For anyone who would like to voice their concerns or ideas about the proposed diversity course requirement, there will be a Curriculum Committee meeting today at 11:30 a.m. in the Student Resources Center, room 255E, and the following Wednesday at 11 a.m. in 246 Scholes Hall, López said.