to Special SPECTRUM, February 2, 2001
Virginia Tech Conductor
A GUIDE FOR OUR JOURNEY TOWARD EXCELLENCE, EQUITY AND EFFECTIVENESS
Making a Difference
Two programs fine tune strategies for retention
by Sheela Nath, Conductor intern and English student "Virginia Tech in the past has struggled to develop a very strong comfort zone for minority Nath students, whether they are international students or Americans" says Larry Moore co-advisor with Randy Grayson of the Minority Academic Opportunities Program (MAOP). MAOP has furthered its goal to improve diversity on campus through various successful methods. The program has brought together groups of minorities to create a more welcoming atmosphere for students and is working to improve the recruitment and retention of students. MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculing, and positive goal-oriented faculty members and administrators. Because Virginia Tech recruits highly qualified individuals in the first place, Moore feels, they start out on the right track. However, to help minority students continue on that track, there is much that faculty members can do to create a more welcoming environment. "There's a lot we can do as mentors and advisors to help students stay on track." Moore suggests taking a greater interest in diversity, in part by helping students grow acclimated to Virginia Tech. Although he says that "there's been a campus-wide effort to improve diversity," the effort and the comfort zone offered minority students could be improved. "Many faculty members, staff, and students are looking at where we fit and how we approach the under-represented student at Virginia Tech and to make sure that our approach is inclusive." By introducing minority students to MAOP and MANRRS advisors* and students pose at a holiday gathering: Tom Jenssen*, Randy Grayson*, other minority students, Karen London, Sonya Draper, Tammy Henderson*, Jennifer Cook, Larry Moore*, Marquea King, Elizabeth introducing them to Werner, Jeanette Ankomasey, Karmon Green, Kristen Jones, Cristina Faustino, Monica Taylor, Tiffany their department's Felton, Lori Lane, Lillian Davalos, Maurice Ogutu, and Crystal Lamb. Photo by Anthony N. Nicholas career clubs, and ture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences) and MAOP introduced me to a group of people bent on success," says freshman forestry major Olivia Frederick about the programs. "Through these programs I have had numerous opportunities to volunteer my time toward the betterment of the college and the community. I enjoyed having a mentor and I look forward to being a mentee next year." The programs help students to form a greater comfort level at Virginia Tech, giving them a better chance of succeeding here. Moore attributes MAOP's success in increasing the retention of minority students to linking with students through peer-mentoring programs, minority social organizations, networkHere is how you can help minority students become acclimated to Virginia Tech: Introduce students to the department's career club Introduce students to other minority students Assign students a mentor not just an advisor Maintain contact with students Help students to network Work with students to create a course /research proposal plan Develop more inclusive courses internationalize courses
maintaining a bridge with the students, faculty members can create a greater comfort zone for students. By taking time to talk to students, to actually be mentors and not just advisors, to work with students to create course plans, and internationalizing courses, faculty members can work with students to create a higher retention rate, Moore says. "It's important for the entire university community to realize that we must have a comfort zone for everybody, regardless of gender or race, or we won't be, from my perspective, a true land grant university that represents the entire population of the state of Virginia."
What do you think?
Recruiting, hiring diverse faculty important to university's agenda
by Richard Conners of electrical and of the U.S. population, as well as at current business computer engineering, Multicultural Fellow trends. You will find that the nature of the world is going My November article on the campus to be significantly different in the next 30 to 50 years. In climate for gays, lesbians, and transsexuals the United States, there will be no majority race and the was not one that motivated much in the way globalization of business will require managers to cope of responses. I got only one response. It with a very diverse work force. If we at Virginia Tech are to prepare our students Conners was from a lesbian graduate student. She indicated that the climate at Virginia Tech to be leaders in this world, I do not believe that we can was basically fine but she did have some concerns about any longer afford to be a one-race school. We need to the way gay, lesbian, and transsexual partners are treated diversify our student body so that our students can by the university. become accusShe said the tomed to dealing Virginia Tech cannot fully diversify its student body problem was that with people from without making progress on diversifying its faculty. she could not get different races, a gym pass for different her partner. Gym passes are for spouses only. cultures, different ethnic backgrounds and, yes, different sex and sexual orientations. In my mind, the goal of That said, let's talk about the topic of this article. diversifying our student body is not just so we can better As you may know Virginia Tech is interested in becomserve under-represented groups in Virginia, but so all of ing one of the top 30 research universities in the country. our students, majority and minority, will benefit from While the rankings for the top research universities are the increased educational opportunities that having a based solely on research dollars, I think that what the diverse student body will offer. administration has in mind is not just generating more I believe that President Steger shares these same research funding but also improving the quality of views. I say this not only because of what he has said education provided at Virginia Tech. about these issues at meetings I have attended, but also How can our educational quality be improved? To because of the actions he has all ready taken. I note, for answer this question, look carefully at the demographics example, that he is working to increase the number of under-represented students at Virginia Tech by 20 percent in the fall 2002. Virginia Tech cannot fully diversify its student body without making progress on diversifying its faculty. According to a study by Associate Provost Pat Hyer, the number of faculty members from underrepresented groups has remained basically the same over the past 10 years. We must not allow this to continue. That means we must examine our current faculty recruitment and hiring strategies since they do not seem to be getting us where we want to go. Certainly, there are a small number of possible candidates in some disciplines. But we must make See Faculty Hiring on page 2
In this issue
Race: America's original science fiction page 2 How did industrial systems engineering become an Exemplary Department? page 3 How can Virginia Tech be more welcoming? page 3 School forum cultivates diversity page 4 ADD diagnosis requires multiple tests page 4
Unpack your assumptions
Race: America's original science fiction
by Joseph L. Graves Jr., professor of evolutionary biology, Arizona State University West, and American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow lineages within the lifetime of a species. Neither of these facts is true for anatomically modern Homo sapiens. There is more genetic variation within one tribe of Western African chimpanzees than found in the entire human species2. For example, in 1998, Science magazine's genome issue devoted a section to explaining the rift between genetic reality and the "racial" categoMy generation of science ries to be used by the Office of Management and Budget fiction fans was raised on Star (OMB) for the 2000 census. Commenting in that same Trek. I will always remember issue, Yale geneticist Kenneth Kidd stated: "One of the Graves episode 70: "Let That Be Your benefits that's going to come from [studies of genome Last Battlefield." Bele, an alien diversity] is an even greater understanding of how whose body pigmentation is split equally between black similar we all are in our marvelous variation."3 and white comments on the inferiority of the criminal Ironically, the public has only a partial awareLokai, who he has pursued and finally caught abroad the ness of the important implications of these facts. There Enterprise. Curiously Lokai's body is are still several important on-going also equally split between black and racial myths. These include claims As we enter the 21st century, we have understood for over 50 years that white: no biological bases for the race concept exists within the human species. concerning genetically determined Bele: It is obvious to the most racial intelligence, or predisposition to ... Ironically, the public has only a partial awareness of the important simple minded that Lokai is of an criminal behavior, and the mistake of implications of these facts. inferior breed. conflating racial identity with vulnerFirst Officer Spock: The ability to a particular disease. If we obvious visual evidence, Commissioner, is that he is of race. Theories relating to the biology of the newly recognize that biological races do not exist, then the the same breed as yourself. encountered populations could not help but reflect this legacies of our social construction of race are more Bele: Are you blind, Commander Spock? Well process. For the first time, questions were posed as to problematic. For example, if there is no difference in look at me, look at me! See 'Race' on page 3 whether the conquered and enslaved populations were Captain Kirk: You are black on one side and truly human. Were they some sub-human varieties white on the other. distinctly below Europeans on the scale of nature? Bele: I am black on the right side! Conquest and enslavement created the environmental conditions under which the natural (genetic) potentials The Conductor is produced twice during the Kirk and Spock did not understand why this of the populations involved were expressed. Thus, if fall and twice during the spring semesters by the arbitrary distinction, whether one was black on the right naturalists of this period claimed that the African slave Multicultural Fellows and is published by the Office or the left, should be used to distinguish "racial" groups and the American Indian seemed less on any particular of Multicultural Affairs. on the Planet Charon. However, for Bele, Lokai's left trait relative to the European, they sometimes were All members of the university community sided black pigment was a racial characteristic and a accurately describing what they observed. They made are invited to contribute. Please submit articles to sign of inferiority. It is also clear that the value placed two mistakes however. First was the fact that they were [e-mail] or to any fellow or sponsor: on this difference resulted not from biology, but instead usually judging these populations by some European 1999 Fellows from the social history of their planet. This story ends norm of cultural accomplishment and second they Danny Axsom, psychology, 1-6495, [e-mail] with the long-standing racial animosity of Charon confused the degradation imposed on these people by leading to its destruction. Hence the title: Let this be colonialism and slavery for their "natural" condition. For Richard Conners, electrical and computer engineering, 1-6896, rconners your last battlefield. example, Thomas Jefferson wrote of the natural inferiorVirginia Fowler, English, 1-6919, vfowler It is unclear whether the author of this story ity of the Negro, particularly with regard to their Thomas Jenssen, biology, 1-6246, tjenssen was aware of how closely his story paralleled the origin supposed lack of intelligence, without being able to Josiah Tlou, teaching and learning, 1-8344, tlou and maintenance of the race concept in America. Race is recognize his own role in the creation of the social Susan Trulove, university relations, 1-5646, strulove America's original science fiction. The American conditions responsible for these same observations. In Charlotte Waggoner, environmental health and conception of race is a social not a biological construct. that sense, Jefferson was no different from the fictional safety, 1-5864, ren In my forthcoming book, I have summarized the history character Bele in Star Trek. American society has been David Winston, dairy science, 1-5693, dwinston of race concept in the Western world1. I outline how dominated by the race fallacy for over three centuries. both the concept race and the biological theories used to Fortunately, as we enter the 21st century, we 2000 Fellows define these were inextricably linked to social changes have understood for over 50 years that no biological Jerrold P. Allen, Corps of Cadets, jpallen resulting from the European voyages of discovery. For bases for the race concept exists within the human Kimberly S. Brown, Center for Undergraduate example, while the classical ancient civilizations of the species. Properly understood biological races require Studies, 1-8440, ksbrown Western world (Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Roman) did certain amounts of genetic variation to be manifested Mary Connerley, management, 1-7372, maryc recognize the existence of human physical differences, between particular populations, or that biological Mahmood A. Khan, hospitality and tourism managetheories of racial hierarchy did not arise until much later. populations have maintained unique evolutionary ment, Falls Church, 8-8398, mahmood Ann Kilkelly, theatre arts /womens studies, 1-7652, akilkell James Klagge, philosophy, 1-8487, jklagge Martha Laster Mullen, payroll, mlaster, 1-3754 Continued from page 1 these objectives. It just makes sense to me that if you Raymond Plaza, residential programs, 1-6274, rp25 have a larger pool from which to choose, then the person progress anyway. We must do so because we owe it to Tony A. Sutphin, financial aid, 1-5179, sutphint selected should be the one with the best credentials as our current and future students. It is, I believe, in the judged by a uniform evaluation standard. interest of providing them the best possible education. Sponsors To this end I applaud the College of Arts and Benjamin Dixon, multicultural affairs, 1-1820, bdixon Well, that's how I feel. How do you feel? Let me Science for its efforts at revising its faculty hiring know. E-mail me at [e-mail]. Please include the Barbara Pendergrass, student affairs, bpender, 1-3787 procedures. I thank Dean Bob Bates and his associate Richard Shingles, political science, 1-5310, shingles words "faculty hiring" or something like that in the edeans for doing so. mail subject so that I can easily identify what your It is important to point out that what has been put The next issue is March 30, 2001. The deadline message is about. If you like, you may call. My number in place in the College of Arts and Science is a system is March 16, 2001. is 231-6896. The names of all respondents will be kept whose aim is to diversify the applicant pool and to make Back issues are online at www.multicultural.vt.edu/. strictly confidential. I will provide plenty of space for sure the evaluation process proceeds in a uniform, opposing views in my next article. documentable manner. I can find no fault with either of European notions of the generalized inferiority of Africans had to await the defeat of the Muslims in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe in the 15th century. The colonization of the new world brought together people from vastly different portions of the world for the first time. Instead of the continuous variation in human forms observed by early European explorers like Marco Polo, the colonizers of the new world saw discrete categories (Europeans, American Indians, and Africans.) A period of brutal warfare began soon after these populations came into contact. European populations subjugated the indigenous Indian nations of the New World, imported and enslaved Africans, and created a hitherto non-existing social and cultural system inextricably linked to the concept of
About 'The Conductor'
Faculty hiring ...
How did ISE come to be an Exemplary Department?
The university recognized three departments for their work in diversity. This article features one of those Exemplary Departments, the Grado Department of Industrial Systems and Engineering (ISE). John Casali is department head. Ben Dixon is vice president for multicultural affairs. Dixon: Why did your unit think it should apply for this recognition? Casali: The administration of the Grado ISE department believed that the department's activities toward improving diversity had been successful over the past five years, and as such, that our efforts and strategies might be helpful to other departments that face similar challenges. For example, the recruitment of women faculty members to our department was a priority for a number of reasons, one of which is the need for gender role models for the 40 percent female enrollment at the undergraduate level. A challenge in this regard is the paucity of available women Ph.D.'s in engineering, and our ISE Faculty Recruiting Committee made a commitment to locate and interview top-notch female candidates. Since 1995, five women faculty members have been hired in ISE, compared to having only one woman out of 30 total faculty positions in 1995. Dixon: What were some of the external benchmark organizations/groups you used to guide your diversity activities? Casali: The ISE department and annually voluntarily participates in an industrial engineering program benchmark group of 12 universities, 10 of which are consistently ranked in the US News and World Report magazine's top-10 industrial engineering departments. Adding considerable enlightenment was the department development of special programs, initiatives, and target goals do not alone create a sufficient condition for success in insuring that a strong multicultural perspective flourishes. The most important realization was that it is a shared responsibility in the department, involving faculty, staff, and students alike, to create an atmosphere of support and understanding for the needs of different types of people. In other words, the right kind of attitude, once conveyed and nurtured, can become contagious, and then the specific initiatives and target goals fall readily into place. As a result, our faculty, staff, and student diversity has improved significantly, and our ability to attract people of different cultures has heightened. For instance, the presence of permanent and visiting faculty from multicultural backgrounds greatly broadens the students' perspectives and understanding of different cultural needs. Not only is this important to their preparation for a career in business or industry, it also helps prepare them for more rewarding and meaningful interactions in life. Dixon: What's the one thing you would like to see happen university-wide that would support and encourage you in the particular diversity/multicultural work taken on by your unit? Casali: It would be beneficial to have some basic programs to help the faculty and staff through diversity awareness and accommodation training. Such programs could be an effective subject in the context of a faculty or staff retreat, and help bring employees closer together. Also, from departments that have been particularly successful in implementing programs that improve diversity and multiculturalism, "best practices" documents could be prepared and/or short workshops provided.
Attitude is key
by John G. Casali, Grado Professor and Head, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Since 1995, the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) has made significant strides in improving the diversity in the department, and in fostering an environment wherein multicultural attitudes and perspectives are welcomed, even prized. ISE's efforts and achievements in this regard transcend all personnel categories faculty, classified staff, and students. Furthermore, ISE has integrated multicultural aspects into its undergraduate curriculum and has developed active ties with minority institutions, such as North Carolina A&T, as well as universities abroad. These relationships have helped broaden ISE's students' awareness, as well as improve the department's ability to recruit students from under-represented cultures into its academic programs. Looking toward recruitment of women and under-represented minority candidates to the faculty, the ISE administration and faculty knew it would not be easy, because, for example, national statistics show that less than 10 percent of Ph.D.s in industrial engineering are women, and more disappointingly, less than 1 percent of Ph.D.s (non-gender specific) are African-American. But with solid commitment, targeted recruiting, a new mentoring program for junior faculty members, and other recruiting enhancements, ISE's efforts paid dividends. Out of 28 faculty slots, the department now has six women faculty members, five of whom were hired since 1996. To broaden the multicultural perspectives brought to the See Attitude on page 4
John Casali
Ben Dixon
head's participation in various external advisory activities for an industrial engineering department at a historically black university, North Carolina A&T. These relational and benchmarking activities have helped ISE at Virginia Tech to expand its activities toward improved multiculturalism and instilling a perspective which helps us accommodate the needs of a diverse student body. Dixon: What proportion of your staff/faculty were directly engaged by the programs for which you were recognized? Casali: The Grado ISE department is a large industrial engineering department with 66 employees, of which 28 are instructional faculty. We are proud of the fact that all employees made a commitment to helping to foster a sense of diversity, as well as a friendly climate within which students and employees of varied ethic, race, and other backgrounds will experience an accommodating, supportive environment. Dixon: What are some practical benefits your unit received or will receive from its focus on diversity? Casali: The benefits are many, but perhaps the most important is that we, as a group, came to a firm realization that the
Race...
Continued from page 2 genetic predisposition for intelligence between socially constructed races, what is it about our society that causes the mean difference between Euro- and African Americans on standardized tests? How do we explain the persistent 2.5 to 3.5 times greater age-specific mortality from major diseases exhibited by African Americans? Why are African Americans found disproportionately in all stages of the criminal justice system? Are these conditions related to the way in which African Americans have lived in a nation were opportunity continues to be stratified by socially constructed race? We must dismiss our legacy of falsely determined racial distinctions, or we will never progress toward a truly democratic and anti-racist society. Failing in this, we can only expect that we too will share Charon's fate. Notes: 1. Joseph L. Graves Jr., The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium, (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, February 2001.) 2. P. Gagneux et al. "Mitochondrial sequences show diverse evolutionary sequences of African hominids," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 96 (1999): 5077-5082. 3. Marshall, E. (1998) DNA studies challenge the meaning of race, Science, Genome Issue, v. 282: p. 654-55.
What might Virginia Tech do to become more welcoming to all?
On the whole, I believe that Virginia Tech is a very warm and inviting campus that has made numerous attempts to include students, faculty/staff, alumni, and the commonwealth into the community. With regard to diversity, the continuous challenge before us is becoming a more unified body. We are a diverse institution, seeking to expand within both demographics and programs, yet it is often the same individuals who take on this responsibility, either by position (as university and/or student leaders) or personal interest. New faces and resources promoting diversity efforts with a more concentrated response from all levels of support would be a welcomed approach. Diversity matters. A welcoming community matters. Judi M. Lynch Director of Undergraduate Recruiting Virginia Tech College of Engineering I believe that if there were more areas for visitors to park campus-wide, then more visitors would make the trip to enjoy our beautiful and friendly campus. Cindy Dotson Sophomore Chemical Engineering
I think Virginia Tech should examine the proportion of students from other regions of the United States, as well as from a much more diverse economic background (not all middle- and upper-class households). The student body suffers with its current distribution of students. Virginia Tech is becoming elitist. Mark Totten Undergraduate student Management Science and Information Technology
Send your comments!
Special to SPECTRUM, February 2, 2001
School forum cultivates diversity
The Diversity Forum is now working on issues of by James C. Klagge of nity members, and school board members who came staff-development to increase attention to ways to engage philosophy, a Multicultural Fellow together on a monthly basis to look at the discipline study, all students productively and ways to address students and Montgomery County school and figure out ways of productively engaging all students about diversity issues in elementary school. The forum is board representative and families in the education process. I have taught in the philosoIn the three years that this group has been meeting, it also beginning to devolve its approach into the schools and involve hundreds of students directly. Through the phy department here at Virginia has changed its name to the Diversity Forum and broadDiversity Forum, the school system has included commuTech for 15 years. In that time, we ened its focus. Its meetings are open to anyone that has an nity members, including minority leaders, in recruiting have made more job offers to interest in helping to increase the engagement of all trips to try to get a more diverse faculty. minority faculty candidates than students and families in the educational process. It has If you are interested in becoming involved in the we have actually hired. The continued through dozens of meetings to attract 40 or public schools on these kinds of issues and in these kinds problem was not that we didn't get more attendees, and generate on-going enthusiasm for its minority applicants, or didn't take Klagge projects. The key to its success has been that it has avoided of ways, please feel free to attend our meetings. For information about when meetings are scheduled, please them seriously. The problem was top-down solutions: "This is the problem, and that is how call the superintendent's office (382often that they, ultimately, didn't take us 5104). Meetings are held in the baseseriously. That may be a reflection on the The problem was not that we didn't get minority applicants, or didn't ment of the School Board Office at 200 philosophy department; or it may be a take them seriously. The problem was often that they ultimately didn't Junkin Street in Christiansburg. And if reflection on the university generally; or it take us seriously. you are interested in helping to inform may be a reflection on the community. minority job candidates in your departThough we can't always know these ment about what the community and public schools are things, and sometimes can't do much about them, someyou'll fix it." Its approach has not been "This is what you doing to make Montgomery County a more welcoming times we can. I want to describe some efforts to make the need to do," but "This is what we can do." It has purposely place for all people, please feel free to contact me (231community a more attractive place for minority job included all parties to the concerns it addresses and tried to 8487 or [e-mail]) or the superintendent's office for candidates. These efforts are on-going, and they are one find ways for those parties to figure out w...