Fargo Forum
October 2, 2003

Surveying diversity
By Mike Nowatzki

Students, staff and faculty at four Fargo-Moorhead colleges can expect to receive a survey on campus diversity by the end of October.

The survey is being distributed in both paper and e-mail form by Training Our Campuses Against Racism, an initiative involving NDSU, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Concordia College and Minnesota State Community and Technical College. The F-M YMCA also joined the collaborative last fall.

Since it started two years ago, TOCAR has organized anti-racism teams on each campus, held several anti-racism training seminars and developed the upcoming survey, said Phyllis May-Machunda, who coordinates the initiative with fellow MSUM professor Amy Phillips.

TOCAR recently received a two-year, $175,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation to continue its work.

This fall, the collaborative will offer team training and administer the campus-wide survey. The campus anti-racism teams will use the data to make recommendations to their administrators about long-term anti-racism plans.

May-Machunda said working with the other campuses has been a rich opportunity.

"There have been a number of organizations that are trying to have this dialogue, with varying degrees of success," she said. "But the thing is, we're trying to have this discussion and trying to grow in the process."

Meanwhile, the North Dakota University System's Diversity Council is planning to roll out its first statewide diversity training program on Jan. 23 in Bismarck, according to Mary Jo Gonzales, project director of educational enhancement services at Dickinson State University.

The training, which has been delayed due to scheduling conflicts, will be coordinated by the Minnesota Collaborative Anti-Racism Initiative.