Student organization, university faculties continue struggle against racial hate

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Detroit senior Amber Johnson personally knows about racial inequality. She decided to fight hate when it happens.

Johnson’s sister started the Collective Action for Cultural Unity in 2006 to publicize some of the cultural issues that remain unresolved locally and nationally. Now CACU president, Johnson said the organization facilitates marches on campus, speaks out on different topics and documents cases of intimidation.

“Some members have spoken with the president and different community agencies in order to ensure (there is) no discrimination and that everybody had been treated equally,” she said. “But we have a long way to go … there are some (things) that need to be achieved to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity or as close to equal opportunity as possible.”

Ulana Klymyshyn, director of the Multicultural Education Center, said diversity at Central Michigan University doesn’t just mean offices tending to the needs of under-represented students; rather, it is an educational platform that has improved over time.

“I think the most important thing is that we come to not only recognize the importance of diversity, but we have redefined it,” Klymyshyn said. “We used to think of diversity as programs for under-represented students and now we recognize that diversity benefits everybody.”

By having a diverse group of people on campus, she said there is also a more inclusive community.

“We have a community which has many more perspectives, opinions and ways of doing things,” she said. “What we do at CMU has improved because we have a more diverse student body, faculty and staff than we certainly did 50 or even 25 years ago.”

Despite the improvements and cultural advancements made on and off campus, sociology Professor Mary Senter said racism and discrimination are still around.

“Racism has not disappeared in the United States and CMU is not immune from the social forces that affect the rest of society,” she said.

Senter said CMU needs to increase its efforts to recruit a diverse student body and to see the world from a vantage point of people with different experiences.

The Minority Student Services office promotes diversity through numerous annual cultural programs while fostering positive, nurturing interactions among the campus communities, said director Traci Guinn.

“Minority Student Services promotes diversity in everything we do,” she said. “Promoting diversity is a part of the mission and vision of our office.”

Guinn said MSS always strives to stay well educated on diversity issues, recruitment, retention and resources for all students, as well as those from diverse backgrounds.

“There is always room for improvement in everything we do as an office,” she said. “It’s important to stay ahead, if not in touch with current and potential future issues.”