IUPUI announces new initiatives to help minorities

IU-Purdue University Indianapolis administrators announced Wednesday they will establish a multicultural center and other diversity initiatives in an effort to meet the demands of black student leaders on campus.\nTwo weeks ago, senior Dominic Dorsey, president of IUPUI's Black Student Union, addressed University officials in an eight-page letter with a list of demands, including $78,000 of funding for black student groups, a black culture center and a degree offering in African-American studies.\nFollowing what Dorsey called a "completely unsatisfactory" response from the administration, a forum was held Sunday for students, faculty and members of the community to express their concerns about the issue. At the conclusion of the meeting, black student leaders gave administrators until 5 p.m. Wednesday to generate a satisfactory response or face possible repercussions, namely the demand for the immediate removal of certain administration and faculty.\nAfter holding two open conversations with students earlier this week, IUPUI Chancellor Charles Bantz issued a statement today outlining efforts the University would enact to improve diversity and increase cultural competency on campus.\n"These initiatives are satisfactory for what we are trying to accomplish," Bantz said. "We are trying to advance the campus and need to do it, and I think these will move us in the new direction."\nIn addition to the multicultural center, IUPUI will work to improve diversity by creating a group of students and faculty to assess campus diversity efforts and increasing faculty diversity training. \nThough no exact calculation can be made at this point, Bantz estimates that a multicultural center will be open for student use within a year and a half.\nAdditionally, in response to the students' demand for $78,000, the University will create a committee to assess the way student funds are used.\n"An outside group of \nprofessionals who work in student life at other colleges and universities is going to review the way the allocations are made and see what needs to be done," Bantz said.\nCurrently IUPUI has an administrator designated to work part-time in diversity affairs, but Bantz believes a full-time position is necessary to truly devote time to campus diversity.\n"I want someone who wakes up in the middle of the night and worries about how they can make the campus more successful and more diverse," he said.\nBlack student leaders have yet to respond to the University's most recent response but are set to meet with administrators at the beginning of next week to assess the current situation.\n"I believe IUPUI is making steps in the right direction," said D'Anna Wade, president of IU-Bloomington's Black Student Union. "(IUPUI needs) to encourage the students to stay focused and follow it through to the end"