Even as the state’s governor is poised to approve legislation that would outlaw sanctuary campuses, students at the University of Mississippi are insisting that students be forced to take courses in multiculturalism and diversity.
According to The College Fix, the self-proclaimed “Students Against Social Injustice” (SASI) suggest anyone seeking to graduate with a liberal arts degree be required to fulfill two additional requirements: “6-9 hours of multicultural courses” and “12 hours of diversity-related extracurricular/volunteer hours.” They are not too specific as to whether attendance at ethnic food establishments would qualify for the latter requirement.
The students are collecting names on a petition to force their issue. They are aiming for 100 people to support their campaign and as of Wednesday afternoon they had found 50.
But the petition has been available for signature for two months now.
The SASI group is claiming that their plan was inspired by the university’s diversity plan that was authored by the school’s chancellor, Jeffrey Vitter, who wrote: “Diversity is a hallmark of education and enriches the environment and experiences of all our campus constituents.”
As reported in “The DM Online,” SASI’s suggests that its mandatory additional courses would serve to complete the diversity plan’s goal to flavor “the overall curriculum by infusion of content that enhances multicultural awareness and understanding.”
The petition is also said to be attracting support from alumni in Pontotoc and Memphis, Tennessee.
SASI member Makala McNeil just signed the petition on Tuesday, saying it was a means of pushing the university towards the diversity plan.
McNeil says the multicultural studies component could be key to systematizing inclusion at Ole Miss.
‘We’d be doing students a disservice if after four years they leave the institution without exposure to the wide array of multicultural courses the institution offers,” she said.
When she signed the petition, English major Skylar Sandroni commented, “I’m signing because I believe in an education that represents all people.”
If the petition amasses 100 names, it will be forwarded to interim provost Noel Wilkin, presumably for his action to proceed with the plan.
On the subject of diversity, Nicholas Elliot offered the following observation in the Georgetown Review, when he inquired, “What does a diversity requirement accomplish if [a college’s] mission is already to promote a well-rounded education and globally-aware citizen?”
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