The World Cultures Initiative was one of the most talked about aspects of the Trustees' announcements regarding the Student Life Initiative earlier this term -- and the majority of opinion felt it was far too vague and would not meet the needs of College minority students.
While the specifics of the WCI have not yet been determined, administrators have begun to discuss methods for making its details much more clear.
The steering committee submitted the proposal for the College to create a committee to "formulate an appropriate program to promote cultural understanding" to the Board of Trustees as part of the recommendations on the Student Life Initiative. The committee specified that such programming "not be directed toward minority groups, but rather that it be directed toward helping the entire community."
The Trustees, in their response this term, called for the development of "a residential and social environment that encourages our students to understand difference, to learn from each other, and to recognize their own responsibilities as citizens of the world. The Board encourages the administration to work with faculty and students to pursue the development of a world cultures initiative, which could provide educational and social programming..."
The WCI has been criticized by students who feel the steering committee did not recommend a comprehensive course of action toward the creation of a plan to promote cultural and international understanding on campus.
Trustee William King '63 told The Dartmouth that the concept of the WCI arose after members of the community expressed concern about what they considered an ignorance of cultural diversity at the College.
"The Board was responsive to this, and there has been a great deal of discussion," King said, also noting that "the specifics have yet to be decided."
Now, he said, the project has entered the hands of Dean of the College James Larimore, who will create a committee that will gather input from students, faculty and administrators and study closely the issues involved. Larimore was not available for comment.
"What we decided was to have a group get together and think about how this might actually become a reality at the College," King said.
King emphasized that community discussion will play a very important role in the creation of the WCI's specifics, and he added that Larimore might use his role as a college insider to consult with sources outside Dartmouth about the issue.
Current plans dictate that the as-yet unformed committee will prepare a report by the spring of 2001, recommending how the WCI will be implemented.
The exact goals of the project are also unclear at this point, King said, but will be determined along with the specifics of implementation.
"It would be premature to answer the question of what the world cultures initiative will accomplish. We want this to be a subject for discussion that will lead to a recommendation to the Trustees," he said.
The WCI represents the "College's commitment to diversity and internationalism," King said. By increasing cultural awareness, the will WCI aim to help students "develop as citizens not only of this country but of the world."
King also said the WCI will have "an educational outlook with social and residential overtones."
Many students who spoke with The Dartmouth and were familiar with the proposal said they do not know what to expect from the project -- and others questioned the efficacy of the effort.
"The world cultures initiative has the possibility to institute tangible changes to the Dartmouth campus in the way of enhancing respect for diversity," Karim Mohsen '03 said. "I truly hope that those involved have the courage to follow their consciences and make concrete improvements to the way this campus deals with differences."
Mohsen expressed concern that responsibility for the implementation of the proposal would keep devolving to a different committee, which would then make more recommendations. He also said he was disappointed by the committee's decision against the creation of a free-standing multicultural center, a single building that would house offices of all the campus cultural organizations.
Mohsen cited Williams College as one college which successfully utilizes a multicultural center, saying that the building represents an "institutional commitment to all of their students' needs."
In a similar vein, Anne Delaney '02 said she thinks the WCI is a good idea, but has a "hard time seeing how imposing this on people will make things better."
"The point here is that it's still an open book," King said.
