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The university is doing the right thing by subjecting its vice president for institutional diversity candidates to two separate forums starting Friday.

For once, students are interested in a search for a senior member of CMU's administrative staff. Ever since voters approved Proposal 2 last November, many students have actively voiced their opinions about how diversity can be improved at CMU.

They've chastised the university for a perceived lack of response to the issue and have challenged University President Michael Rao and other administrators to come up with a plan of attack.

The person who will spearhead that diversity plan most likely will be whomever Rao chooses as CMU's next AVP for institutional diversity.

So it was pleasant to see the university sway away from its usual interview process for a senior administrative position and do something it's never before done.

Each of the five candidates, starting Friday at 2 p.m . in Grawn Hall's Pierpoint Auditorium with Jerome L. Reide, will sit through two separate, 50-minute forums, with the first dedicated entirely to students. Faculty, staff and the Mount Pleasant community can attend the second of back-to-back sessions at 3 p.m.

In past searches for administrative positions such as associate vice president and provost and associate vice president for off campus programs, student attendance has been low - in some cases almost non-existent.

There has been no reason to give students a separate chance because frankly, they don't care about those positions.

But that's been totally different with this most recent search because of its direct correlation to diversity at CMU. The AVP for institutional diversity committee recognized that student voice and did something about it. It recognized an opportunity for student involvement, and it did the right thing.

There's no doubt that a large contingent of the aforementioned students will attend these student forums to get a better idea of the agendas of the five candidates.

But student attendance at these forums shouldn't stop with this crowd of students. Students interested in diversity at CMU, whether they feel it is fine as-is or it needs improvement, should attend as many of these forums as possible.

If there ever was a way to have your voice heard at CMU, this is it. The first forum is at 2 p.m. Friday, with the other four happening at 2 p.m. next Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Students have argued for months that, while officials facilitate discussion about changing diversity at CMU, they don't have a plan of attack.

The next week could be the first step in shedding some light on these students' concerns.

But if you don't attend the forums, you still will be in the dark.

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