More than 12 months after the Committee on the Student Life Initiative proposed a World Cultures Initiative to the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, the future of such an initiative is still uncertain.
Last fall, a committee of undergraduates, graduates, administrators and faculty members was brought together and charged with developing the World Cultures Initiative, and Monday night marked their second meeting.
At their meeting the committee "had a very broad ranging conversation about diversity and inclusiveness at Dartmouth," committee member and Dean of the College James Larimore said, but it is yet "too early to tell" the exact shape their recommendations will take in their final report, due for release in May 2001.
Larimore emphasized that the committee is still far from formulating any specific recommendations. "We were charged to take a very broad look at the educational environment at the College. Our recommendations will be fairly broad, but it's too early to tell."
Mapping out plans for the next several weeks, the committee will busy itself in gathering information from a broad range of sources on the state of diversity at Dartmouth, along with diversity programs other colleges have developed, Larimore said.
Committee member and Student Assembly President Jorge Miranda '01, however, said the vagueness of the Trustees' recommendations concerning the World Cultures Initiative has granted the committee great latitude and thus increased the importance in its work.
"The future of the world cultures initiative will depend on how it's defined and interpreted by this committee," Miranda said.
In searching to define the initiative, the committee will consult past studies concerning student life, student satisfaction and perceptions of social life, Larimore said.
Diversity initiatives already underway at the College will also be inventoried, such as those carried out by the Hopkins Center, which "makes a very conscious effort to coordinate diversity and exposure to various cultures as part of its ongoing arts and educational work," he noted.
But looking beyond efforts at diversity programming, the committee will also examine data on student recruitment and admissions, as well as the demographic composition of the College's staff, Larimore added.
And in addition to "gaining a sense of what's already going on at Dartmouth," the committee will look at what other colleges are doing in terms of diversity efforts.
Before any such recommendations are developed, the committee will "be pretty active in soliciting student involvement and input."
Public meetings with students and faculty across the campus will solicit additional ideas, Larimore said.
Also working to ensure student input is heard, the Student Assembly plans to compile a report of all past ideas and proposals on diversity issues, according to Miranda.
The work of the committee should finish up during the Spring term, at which point a report with formal recommendations will be issued, Larimore said.