MSUM TOCAR Steering Team Minutes
Friday, November 07, 2003
CMU 203
Present: Rose Bakke, Judy
Peterson, Wade Swenson, Veronica Michael, Kim Gillette, Amy
Phillips, Tracy Clark, Linda Palmer, Abner Arauza, Phyllis May-Machunda,
Ferman Woodberry, Donna Rosh, Yoke-Sim Gunaratne, Warren Wiese,
Anita Bender,
Absent: Brian Oxton, David
Crockett, Ron Jeppson, Steve Pletta
Visitor: Deb White
Next meeting, December 5th, 11:30am-1:30pm, CMU 203
I.
Institutional Assessment: Deb White reported on the
Student and Staff/Faculty Assessment process. The survey is now
ready to administer. Administration of survey at MSUM will be
happening simultaneously on NDSU and MSCTC campuses.
Student Survey - It was decided that administering the
survey in the classroom would assure a wider response from
students. Random stratified selection was used in choosing the
classrooms to be surveyed. An upper and lower level class was
chosen from each of the programs.
The Assessment Committee is asking for volunteers to administer
the survey in the classes so a sign up sheet listing all of the
classes chosen was circulated during the meeting. The survey
will be administered between November 12th and the last day of
classes. The Assessment Committee asks that you do not volunteer
to administer the survey in a class that you are teaching, or that
is in the same program you teach in.
Responsibility of volunteers is:
·
To contact the professor informing them that
their class has been selected and asking permission to administer
the survey. The letter to send has been drafted and will be sent
to everyone who volunteers.
·
To follow-up with reminder emails or phone calls
if needed.
·
To arrange for the best time with the professor
to administer the survey.
·
To know the number of students in the classroom.
·
To pick up the materials needed to administer the
survey from Phyllis May-Machunda’s or Deb White’s office.
·
To return the materials to the office from where
they were picked up.
Lottery: Group discussed the process for collecting names
for the lottery. It was decided that a separate sheet (lottery
ticket) would be handed out asking for student’s name and phone
number only and that the list of lottery prizes be
included on the sheet. Along with the prizes that have been
promised the Steering Team decided that TOCAR pay for three
credits to include in the lottery.
II.
Report on trainings: Level I training on Oct. 8th had
34 participants, 16 from MSUM. NDSU and Concordia also
participated in this training. The Level II training on Oct. 30,
31, & Nov. 1 had 22 participants from NDSU and MSUM.
III.
Multicultural History Survey: The survey has been
sent out so please encourage your department to participate.
To date we have received six completed surveys. Since the TOCAR
Team cannot ask for the names of students of color through the
survey to interview, that request has been excluded. MNSCU is
working to find an alternative way to receive that information.
Various departments have asked for a clarification of the
definition of “people of color.” The Assessment Committee decided
to use the definition from Beverly Tatum’s “Why Are All the Black
Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”
IV.
Unit Reports:
Student Support Unit – Kim will be working with Linda
Palmer to help co-coordinate this Unit. Ted Guerrero from MSCTC
has volunteered to be a community member for Student Support Unit.
Administrative & Alumni Unit – The Unit had it’s first
meeting on November 4th. A recruitment and informational meeting
has been scheduled for November 18th. Invitations have been sent
out to be followed-up with phone calls. The Unit has a couple of
community members, Sarah Kjos and Rick Henderson. The team decided
to following up in person with the departments represented by the
Administrative and Alumni Unit encouraging them to complete the
Multicultural Survey.
Campus Services Unit – Ten people were attended the
last meeting. Facilities Unit has changed it’s name to Campus
Services Unit. In the next meeting Campus Services will look at
a proposal for an alternative structure for Level I trainings.
Les, Steve, and Brian will work on this proposal. Ferman
Woodberry has said yes to serving on our unit.
Academic Unit – 18 people attended the last meeting. The
Unit decided to continue to meet through the rest of this year as
a large group. One of the main focuses for the Unit will be on
Team building as well as incorporating a monthly
process/discussion about racism and what it means to be an
anti-racist campus.
V.
Role of facilitators: Group discussed the role of Unit
facilitators as well as some of the tools needed for building the
team and enabling the work to be done. Below is a list created
by the group from the discussion:
·
Building Units capacity to accomplish tasks.
-
Develop agenda, remind people about meetings, logistical
things.
-
Start meetings on time.
-
Willing to delegate responsibilities.
-
Begin each meeting with approval of minutes before they go
on the website.
·
Building Team Cohesion
-
Facilitate the development of groundrules for safe
environment. Say it overtly.
§
“I” Statements
§
Respectful
§
Listen
§
Be Patient
§
Confidentiality
§
No slamming each other’s opinions
§
It’s okay to disagree – disagree respectfully.
(Warrants a conversation with you group.)
§
Take responsibility about how you are feeling.
-
Establish and maintain two-way conversation.
-
Encourage people to participate. Work to ensure full
participation or that everyone’s voice is heard.
·
Building Units’ anti-racist identity and
promoting anti-racist identity
-
Facilitate the group to deal with difficult questions in
the group.
VI.
T-Shirts: Hope to have T-Shirts with the TOCAR logo by
the Level III training at the end of January.
VII.
Team Preparation for Level III training: Group began
this discussion by discussing the difference between seeing
themselves as a team versus committee. It was agreed that the
word “team” better describes the work of this group. Team
implies more cooperation and accountability. It also implies
action and that everyone has a role. The group voiced questions
and ideas about continued development as a team:
·
How do we continue to build an anti-racist identity?
·
Are there aspects of our team that need to be
developed?
·
It is important to continue to deepen the analysis
so that as a team we stay connected to the analysis.
·
How to we develop our ability to articulate what
TOCAR at MSUM is about?
·
Are there readings or videos that can help to
facilitate some of this discussion?
·
Continue Caucusing. (Make sure we do it one more
time before the Level III training.)
·
In their meetings prior to the Level III
training, Unit Teams should discuss power analysis of the
institution. By continuing this discussion within the context of
our Unit meetings we are going to uncover different information
than we will find in the Steering Team discussions. Unit
facilitators need to think about how to distribute the power
analysis handouts to everyone on their teams.
-
Look at where and how P1, P2, and P3 manifest themselves
in the institution.
-
Discuss where the institution is within in the context
of the Units.
·
Continue discussion about how white privilege
manifests itself within the MSUM structure, especially as it
relates to our policies and practices, in both our Steering Team
meetings and our Unit Team meetings.
VIII.
Membership: Sandra Parra will be returning to the
Steering Team. Ferman Woodberry and Kim Gillette have agreed to
serve on the Steering Team as well.
IX.
Next Meeting: Friday, December 5th, CMU 203,
11:30am-1:30pm.
Submitted by,
Anita Bender
