Equity Scorecard forum held

In an effort to determine how well UW-La Crosse is helping students to "add depth and value to their classroom experiences," two open forums for the Equity Scorecard Excellence Perspective Reports were held on Monday, March 26 and Tuesday, March 27 in Cartwright Center. The Equity Scorecard is a project with a goal of improving diversity at UW-L, as well as UW-Oshkosh, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside, UW-Whitewater, and the UW Colleges. The project is a component of Plan 2008, a 10-year plan designed to increase the number of minority students on campus and improve the academic outcomes of minority students. The focus of the forum was to address how well UW-L helps minority students attain their degrees and participate in additional educational experiences outside of the classroom. Dr. Carmen Wilson, an associate professor of psychology, presented data related to Honors programs, the Dean's list, and enriching educational opportunities at the University. Wilson emphasized how important it is to look at current data "to determine how to create more equity, find where the gaps are, and figure out what we need to change." Wilson's data showed that minority students are underrepresented in both Honors programs and on the Dean's list at UW-L. Wilson pointed out that these students are not under prepared, as they have earned similar ACT scores as Caucasian students. However, they are still underrepresented at higher GPA ranges and overrepresented at lower GPA ranges. Although the Equity Scorecard shows that minority students do not perform as well academically, Wilson also presented some positive data related to the participation of minorities in academically enriching programs outside of the classroom. The Equity Scorecard's data shows that minority students are more likely to work with faculty members on a research project, participate in independent study and internships, and study abroad than Caucasian students. In the case of studying abroad, the only group found to be below equity was Asian and Pacific Islander students. Wilson pointed out that this could be due to the fact that Asian and Pacific Islander students are more likely to care for dependent children than other students, which affects their likelihood of studying abroad. After presenting the Equity Scorecard data, Wilson opened up the forum for discussion. One of the main topics discussed was how UW-L can better coordinate its efforts to achieve the goals of the Equity Scorecard. Teri Thill, Director of Institutional Research, stressed the importance of making this project something that is driven by the entire campus, not just a small group of people. It was also brought up that this project should be everyone's responsibility, meaning faculty, staff, and students, and that part of educating students is diversifying. Another question brought up at the forum was why the faculty is not talking about the program more. Wilson pointed out that minority students did not fare as well in math, science, and social science courses as in the liberal studies and stated that "we need to ask what faculty have to offer to students as a whole, not just their own separate disciplines." Overall, the main consensus at the forum was that of the importance of making the Equity Scorecard data known so that more people are aware of the problems, and to make this initiative a campus wide effort. For more information on the Equity Scorecard, visit http://www.uwlax.edu/campusclimate/htm/EquityScorecard.html.

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