Fargo Forum
December 18, 2001

Higher ed institutions providing training to help combat racism
By Jeff Zent jzentl@forumcomm.com

  Fargo-Moorhead's four schools of higher education are taking a hard look at how they treat minority students.
  The two colleges and two universities are training faculty, students and staff to improve multicultural understanding and rid the campuses of racism.
  The initiative, called Training Our Campuses Against Racism (TOCAR), involves North Dakota State University, Concordia College, Minnesota State University Moorhead and Northwest Technical College in Moorhead.
  "All of our campuses have policies against intentional discrimination, but we want to explore policies and practices that are more subtle," said Kay Schneider, a Concordia College administrator and the ' school's TOCAR chapter director.
  The four schools created TOCAR chapters last spring in response to a US. Commission on Civil Rights report that criticized Moorhead police, city and school officials for discriminating against minorities, said Amy Phillips, an MSUM professor.
  Each campus has a TOCAR chapter in charge of implementing training at their schools. The chapters are lead by a steering committee of about 10 representatives from each campus, said Phillips, who helps coordinate the steering committee.
  The four schools received a $77,000 Otto Bremer Foundation grant in November to provide on-campus antiracism training, said Phyllis May-Machunda a MSUM professor and steering committee co-chairwoman.
  The Minneapolis-based Minnesota Churches Anti-Racism Initiative will provide training on all four campuses next semester, MayMachunda said, although some training began this fall.
  TOCAR also will host public forums at the colleges and universities next spring. The forums will help schools assess their treatment of minority students, she said.