Forty percent racial minority, 25 percent Jewish, 17 percent international: Penn loves statistics that boast of its commitment to diversity - a priority the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education explored in a panel discussion last night.
In light of the recent debate about adding a United States Cultural Analysis Requirement to the College of Arts and Science's curriculum, the panel of student leaders met to discuss the challenges of diversity in higher education.
The primary focus of the panel was the integration of diversity and academics, said College junior Elizabeth Slavitt, chairwoman of SCUE.
"We weren't trying to create a policy paper or come up with a new initiative," she explained. "We just wanted to make sure conversations about diversity include an academic perspective."
Doing so, Slavitt added, "grounds us and allows us to think about how we can implement changes in policy."
One of the changes mentioned last night was the possible inclusion of the Cultural Analysis Requirement, which would focus on minority culture in the U.S. While some panelists expressed reservations, most were in favor of the addition.
College sophomore Wilson Tong, vice chairman of political affairs for the Asian Pacific Student Coalition, said the new requirement would be "integral to building sensitivities, awarenesses and tolerances" of minority communities in the U.S.
Also debated was the value of having minority professors and culturally diverse academic departments.
Tong said the cultural studies departments are "extremely empowering," and others echoed his sentiments.
The minority coalitions represented last night were the APSC, Hillel, the Muslim Students Association and the United Minority Council. The panel was not open to the public because it was an attempt to "open the conversation with people who were especially passionate about these issues," explained Slavitt.
SCUE plans on hosting similar events in the future that are public forums for discussion on diversity.
College senior and panelist Ezra Billinkoff, president of Hillel, emphasized the value of such open conversation, insisting that diversity, rather than being "just a catchphrase for a brochure," should be put "into action."
Wharton junior Erangi Dias, the SCUE member moderating the discussion, hopes that more campus groups will participate in future panels, noting that several groups were unable to attend last night because of scheduling conflicts.
