DAC Archived Reports: November 2006
The DAC, in November, met with several constituent groups on campus to pursue student initiatives, intercultural curriculum issues and the ombudsperson action item.
Marlie Creese, our DAC rep, organized and conducted a meeting with student leaders Nov. 8. Student leaders, representing Student Government and the diverse student clubs on campus expressed an interest in working with DAC. They said it would be helpful to have policies on budgeting revamped to enable students across club lines to work together. Mandy Restivo noted this is a DAC action item under the inter-intra group subcommittee.
Creese suggested that in the Spring semester the DAC hold similar regular meetings with students at least twice a semester.
DAC co-chairs Kay Fowler and Edna Negron met with the leadership of the Minority Faculty Staff Association, Edward Eloi and Asha Mehta, to explore the ombudsperson action item together at a Jan. 10 retreat. The leadership of both groups agreed an alliance would be productive on projects both groups support. DAC member Shirley Knight, along with librarians, will be researching similar initiatives across the nation’s colleges and universities.
Fowler also reported that the DAC will have a significant role in the new all-campus Intercultural Committee. This committee, convened by the Provost’s Office, will design curricular goals. Ruma Sen, co-chair of the curriculum subcommittee, will represent DAC. Other DAC members assigned by their convening groups to serve on the intercultural committee are Rena Bacon, Shirley Knight and Yvette Kisor. Provost Beth Barnett charged the group to consider DAC recommendations in the design of campus goals by April.
The DAC continued to fine-tune its action plan to clarify language and consider measurable outcomes. Fowler reviewed the grids and revamped the format to now focus on goals and objectives, followed by action items. DAC members agreed that a more "at-a-glance" format would be easier for public consumption. Negron will work on that for December.
n subcommittee action, Restivo reported that her subcommittee already completed its initial first task of seeking to include Equal Opportunity Fund students in honors program. This subcommittee is also researching funding for train-the-facilitator diversity programs to build a reserve of campus people who can conduct different types of diversity training on campus.
Ramapo Security Director Vincent Markowski, a member of the External Relations subcommittee, reported on the Mahwah Police Chief’s visit and explained the recent forum was the first in a series of efforts to build communication between the campus and local police. The DAC agreed that it would be appropriate that campus officials invite the Mahwah Police Chief to serve on DAC. Markowski said he explored the idea with the Mahwah police chief and he agreed. Fowler and Negron will discuss with President Mercer.
In other matters, the DAC is co-sponsoring its first "brown-bag" training session at the Faculty Resource Center about strategies for enhancing multicultural teaching and learning: "How Can We Engage Students of Color?" on Tuesday, December 5, 1:10 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., E-216.
The next DAC meeting is: Wed. Dec. 13 in SC-217.
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