Failing Diversity 101.

Byline: The Register-Guard

It's imperative that every department, every college, every program at the University of Oregon develop - and follow - policies that address the need for racial and multicultural diversity, and that protect students and staff from harassment and intimidation.

Nowhere at the UO is the need for such policies and adherence more important than the College of Education, where future teachers and administrators are preparing to work in Oregon's increasingly multiracial and multicultural schools.

Yet some students and staff say the college has neither followed existing diversity policies nor addressed racial problems, including retaliation against students who speak out.

The complaints are not new. They've been expressed for years, even decades, and have prompted policy and administrative adjustments that critics say are largely superficial and that have failed to produce lasting changes.

On the eve of a Wednesday rally by the college's critics, UO officials announced several new measures to address these concerns. They include an external review to identify problems and solutions, and a decision to have the college's ombudsman on racial and ethnic issues report directly to the university's affirmative action office instead of to the college's dean, Martin Kaufman.

So far, UO officials are saying all the correct things: They're aware of concerns. They're going to work harder to understand and address them. They've already made changes to address diversity problems and will make more, if necessary. They're listening. They care. Wheels are in motion. And so on.

It's hard to assess the extent of the problems without more speci- fics. But their similarities to complaints made by other students, staff and community members over the years suggest that something is indeed amiss at the college and that the university hasn't yet figured out how to solve these problems.

The latest measures reveal a fundamental flaw in the university's approach. While they're well-inten- tioned and may well prove helpful, UO officials failed to involve the college's critics in crafting the solutions. One of them, graduate student Shadiin Garcia, nailed it when she said: "This is part of the ongoing problem - that we are not incorporated into the solutions."

The students and staff members who are raising these issues deserve praise for speaking out, especially if they're right that the college's critics have been targeted for retaliation in the past. Now, it's important for others to come forward if they have similar complaints to ensure that the university has the information it needs to fully deal with the college's problems. Oregon's school districts should also express any concerns they have about the quality of training that students receive on multicultural and diversity issues.

After years of complaints, it's time for UO officials to resolve the controversy over diversity and racial insensitivity at the College of Education. One of the school's critics, graduate teaching fellow Johnny Lake, is right in saying that that the problems could be resolved with relative ease. All that's required, he says, is a commitment to apply the abundant resources and expertise that already exist on campus.

If UO officials make such a commitment, perhaps they won't have to face similar complaints from future generations of College of Education students and staff.