BFC defers revised IU mission statement

The Bloomington Faculty Council deferred IU's revised mission statement until the fall semester during their final meeting of the semester Tuesday. The statement, which was presented by the BFC Long Range Committee, will undergo further revision until the next meeting in September.\n"We want to have a mission statement that most people here are happy with," said IU-B Chancellor Sharon Brehm, addressing the committee.\nThe statement's wording was debated and no majority emerged to approve it.\n"I don't think we should pass a mission statement that is breaking down in the middle," she said.\nSome of the issues outlined in the statement were recognizing IU's role as an 'engine of economic opportunity,' embracing diversity 'in all its dimensions' and supporting high quality research. \nMichael Hamburger, who presented the statement to the council, said he was not unhappy with the deferral. \n"This was the first public discussion of something that's very important for the University," he said.\n"It's a work in progress and is intended to reflect the mission of the school and the community." \nDiversity was a large issue in the statement, with some disagreement about it on campus. \nEric Rasmusen, a professor at the Kelley School of Business, said that he would have voted against the statement in its current form because it had too much of an emphasis on diversity. \n"I think diversity is nice but not essential," he said. "For example, it's nice to have male and female students, but it's certainly not essential."\nHe added he would have voted against the statement in its current form.\n"The mission of the University is to advance learning and scholarship, and diversity is a side issue."\nDespite this, however, many don't think enough is being done.\n"I think these are very important issues," said Hamburger. "Concerns are raised but there is no action being taken on how to resolve them."\nCommittee's name changes\nThe council approved a proposal to change the name of the Affirmative Action Committee to the Diversity and Affirmative Action Committee. The resolution on diversity, which was to be presented by the AAC, was also postponed. \nThe statement on diversity was also postponed until the next meeting due to time constraints.