Montclair
State University
PCAffirmative Action 2004-05
Minutes
September 21 , 2005
Present : E. Abreu (Women's Caucus), M. Brown (African American Caucus), T. Carey (At-Large), M. Coleman-Carter (At-Large), Saundra-Collins (University Senate), M. Colon (Latino/a Caucus), S. Davage (CWA), D. Davis (AFT Local 1904), Joan Ficke (At-Large), A. Gutierrez (Latino/a Caucus), J. Hain (Ex-Officio) L. Jenkins (At-Large), D. Keiser (AFT Local 1904), AJ Kelton (At-Large), K. Key (African American Caucus), C. Lange (Women's Caucus), L Lemley (IFPTE Local 195), S. Lewis (Faculty), A. Lilla (SGA), D. Lorenzo (At-Large), C. Matteis (Managerial), C. Meneghin (Professional Staff), B. Milton (Ex-Officio), H. Perez (GLFSA), D. Ragin (University Senate), L. Reed (Physical Plant), L. Rodriguez (At-Large), O. Rodriguez-Srednicki (At-Large), T. Ronquillo (UAASO), L. Santiago (University Police), S. Skalsky (Managerial), L.Smith (ADA Representative), M. Sparks (Professional Staff), N. Trivedi (APIC), & Q. Vega (At-Large).
Constituencies Not Represented: Latin American Student Organization, Organization for African Unity, Secretarial/Clerical Staff, & SPECTRUMS.
The meeting was called to order at 12: 35 p.m.
Tribute to Ida Caprio
The PCAA paid tribute to Ida Caprio, who recently passed away, for her dedicated service as the Communications Worker of America representative to the PCAA. Ida was an active member of the Status on Women Committee and the Mentoring Committee. Ida was a respected member of the PCAA, always considerate of others, and able to provide insight into difficult situations. She will be missed.
Minutes of May 25, 2005 Advance
Kelton motioned to approve the minutes; Lemley seconded. L. Smith asked that the section on the Education Committee report (at the end of the minutes) be amended to show that she and J. Harris were elected as co-chairs of the Committee. Kelton motioned to approve the minutes as amended; Key seconded. The minutes were approved as amended.
Chairperson's Comments
C. Meneghin mentioned the PCAA listserv and encouraged members to use it to share information with other PCAA members. PCAA membership information is on the PCAA web site. Please check it to make sure it is accurate.
The members then went to their respective committees to set meeting dates and develop action items for the year.
President Cole's Charge to the PCAA
President Cole gave her annual beginning of the year presentation to the PCAA. She congratulated the PCAA for a productive AY 2005. For new members of the PCAA, she spoke about the relation of the PCAA to the President. The goal of the PCAA is to move forward the goals and mission of Montclair State University as it relates to diversity and affirmative action and to bring to the President's awareness any issues the PCAA thinks needs her attention.
Not all issues need to be brought to the President's attention. The PCAA can call on VP Hain and B. Milton, the University's Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action officer. Both are ex-officio members of the PCAA. They help connect the PCAA to the administrative structure of the University. They take requests from the PCAA for information and work with the University administration to get that information. They can also help the PCAA with recommendations that can be easily implemented.
President Cole's relation to the PCAA is through VP Hain and B. Milton, but the PCAA can always call on President Cole for larger policy issues, issues that require "big" solutions, or problems of a large magnitude. Pres. Cole with come meet with us if needed. All we need to do is ask.
There will be time when the PCAA will deal with large issues, ones that are "bigger than a bread box." President Cole is ready to receive, directly from the PCAA, recommendations on substantial issues. The PCAA need not wait for a formal occasion or the end of the year report to send her such recommendations.
President Cole thought the new committee structure was working well.
She then addressed some other topics.
She said that there is no question that Montclair State is not the same place it was ten to fifteen years ago. She thinks "affirmative action" is an old-fashion phrase. We need to use it, but the University has moved beyond it. Montclair State is now a very diverse institution and a very diverse community. For example, students have "blended" their lives - the second most mentioned positive thing about that alumni mention their Montclair experience is that they are now socializing and studying with students from very diverse backgrounds. We have succeeded in taking students from segregated communities and getting them to interact with students from other kinds of communities and backgrounds. The same thing is happening with faculty and staff, with a few exceptions. We are dealing with success at this level as well.
President Cole said that dealing with such success is more difficult than the early years of affirmative action. We need to be smarter to fine tune things without bringing us back to historical relationships based on the way things were in the past. In that regard, it is increasingly the case that people are less and less interested in identifying themselves in terms of their race, ethnicity, and/or gender groups. They are more interested in identifying themselves as a professional, etc. - freer to come to a table as a biologist or as someone interested in student advising. They bring to the table their background, but it is less important now.
Then President Cole added that says she gets requests for an office for this group or for that group. She thinks we are past that point. We need a concerted university effort and offices tend to be divisive.
President Cole continued that we need to continue to be vigilant. We need to face the reality that we are not perfect - we have to remain vigilant and supportive of special issues and challenges that people in one group or another might fact. At the same time, we are an integrated, blended community.
She then opened the floor to questions and comments:
• President Cole was asked what alumni mention as the most positive aspect of their experience at Montclair State. She said that it is teaching. Alumni loved the teaching and they loved being in a highly diverse community.
• President Cole was asked if the growth in the number of students living on campus has led to new fragmentation among students, not necessarily along racial and ethnic lines, but along socio-economic lines. President Cole asked M. Coleman-Carter for help. Coleman-Carter mentioned that students are now more "millennial." Regardless of their socio-economic background there are common themes in how traditional age students communicate, relate to others and to faculty and staff. They are comfortable with high technology and like to work in groups. Coleman-Carter sees this in student organizations: students in them step outside of their comfort zones and interact with other students not of their group. A member stated that he thought this comfort with interacting with others could be helped by communicating online - you cannot tell who you are communicating with.
• A member asked a question about access to technology. President Cole is committed to having access to technology being universal. She said some students have not had access to technology in the K - 12. The University needs to fix instantly this lack of ability to use technology due to lack of access to it in K - 12. President Cole thinks we can through the efforts of Student Development and Campus Life, faculty and the Library. This can be fixed in a few weeks and this will have real results. We will need faculty help because they will recognize this lack first.
• A member brought up this year's theme for our affirmative action programming: from the classroom to the boardroom. In that context, the member asked if students are taking this commitment to and experience with diversity with them when they graduate; do they see it as an essential. President Cole said this does happen, but that is true about everything we do at the University. We do add richness to the lives of our students. We hope they take with them a sense of values. At the university, we are teaching students about the great potential in developing your mind and your heart and your senses. Because the world is larger than the one that students knew in high school, we introduce them to the broad diversity of life and culture; we give them a taste of it. We hope they will take this with them when they graduate
• President Cole then went on to emphasize the need to show students how to disagree with each other in a civil and respectful manner. She said that, not unlike other universities, we do not debate issues well and we do not listen to other opinions well. We do not debate, deliberate and discuss well. This does not teach our students well. We are too quick to argue and disagree and shout each other down and not insist on reasoned arguments supported by evidence and research. We can only teach how to debate issues well by doing this well ourselves. We have to show students what rational discourse is.
• A member asked about respect in the workplace. President Cole said that this is her point - we need to practice this throughout the campus. President Cole said the root issue is how we promote civility, reasoned discourse, and the need to understand other people's perspectives. We need to promote this person-by-person, meeting-by-meeting.
• President Cole then spoke about email she receives and how some are written in a rude manner. She forwards the email to the appropriate person who can look into the problem. But she also takes the occasion to deal with the tone of the email. Students will reply and apologize. She rarely gets responses from faculty members. She thinks it is easier to teach someone when they are young then when they reach the age of majority - that is why what we do is so important.
• Meneghin asked President Cole for help on an issue related to on-campus transportation for persons with a disability. Meneghin first wanted to recognize a member of T. Carey's office for her help in increasing communication about such services. Meneghin said we still face a problem in getting such transportation to the core of the campus. Meneghin suggested small vans - some of which can be purchased with grant monies - to go around the core of the campus on a set schedule.
Meneghin then said that, according to reports the PCAA has received, the current process of making shuttle arrangements is not working. Carey replied that he has not been "in the loop" in receiving information about such reports. Meneghin said we would get such reports to Carey and that the University needed a more consistent solution to the issue of transportation services in the core of the campus. She said that our recommendation has not been accepted, but no alternative has been offered.
President Cole then noted that the starting a van service in the core the campus involves more than a one time cost - it also involves salaries for the drivers, maintenance costs on the van, etc. She said we needed more accurate reports on what is occurring with regard to problems of persons with a disability getting transportation services within the campus core. She asked Carey to develop a response and proposal to deal with any issues related to this.
• A member suggested that we be more precise on how we use the word "diversity." He asked us to consider what it means for affirmative action when it becomes equated with diversity. He was concerned that making this equation would cause the loss of the concept of social justice that had been attached to the notion of affirmative action. President Cole agreed. She said she thinks we have to look beyond issues of affirmative action to issues of communication and diversity. She also said we should not ignore issues of social justice either. We need to look at measures of this, graduation rates being one of those measures.
• A member asked if there was a way to ask alumni and students who have left the University before graduation about the impact of campus diversity on their experience at Montclair State. President Cole thought this a good question to add to surveys of alumni and students who leave before graduation.
Committee Membership Lists and Time of Meetings
After President Cole left, Meneghin asked committee chairs to send of list of committee members to her and to report back in October on their meeting dates.
Affirmative Action Day
Meneghin reported on plans for Affirmative Action Day in February 2006. She said we will have to have a speaker lined up before the next meeting in October to get support from student organizations and other groups - before they have made commitments with their monies. She said we will make a concerted effort to make sure the program time does not conflict with classes. The theme of the program will be: "Affirmative Action" From the Classroom to the Boardroom."
Other Items
• Abreu thanked the PCAA for its help in piloting testing the bias response training program. Meneghin asked Abreu to report at the October meeting on the University's bias response program and what else the PCAA can do to help.
• Meneghin asked for members to recommend readings and to volunteer to facilitate the discussions of them.
• Meneghin reminded everyone that we have agreed to operate under the principle that everything that is said at the table (i.e., at a meeting) stays at the table. This is to promote openness of discussion at our meetings. She also said that we value civility. We want everyone's opinion to be heard.
• Coleman Carter invited members to Homecoming activities and to bring family and loved ones.
The meeting adjourned at 2:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Luis Rodriguez
PCAA Recording Secretary
Montclair State University
Montclair, N.J. 07043, USA
(973) 655-4000
Webmaster@Montclair.edu