Staff council makes recommendations on cultural diversity

The recommendations came about after a fall visit to all eight state-supported colleges and universities by members of the Institutions of Higher Learning's Task Force on Cultural Diversity. Several campus representatives, including the chairs of faculty and staff councils, were asked to send to the IHL copies of their issues and resolutions to promote cultural diversity among the state's institutions.

Staff council members took the matter one step further by approving the recommendations recently made by several campus representatives and forwarding them to the president. Those representatives included members of the Professional and Support Staff Advisory Council, the President's Commission on the Status of Women, the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, and the Faculty and Professional Women's Association.

The council approved the following recommendations:

• Approving an Administrative Internship Program for associate and assistant department head positions funded by release time.
• Adding to the Committee on Committees the chair or an appointee from the President's Commission on the Status of Women and a Council on Minority Affairs representative.
• Adding the Affirmative Action Officer to the Executive Council.
• Dispensing grant funds or financial support to all departments hiring females and minorities in administrative positions.
• Conducting an annual review and corrections of salary inequities related to gender and race for all positions.