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vol. 135 // iss. 8 Thurs., Sept. 14, 2017
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Equity office reorganizes to enhance inclusivity Office of Multicultural Affairs and other programs have joined the Office for Diversity and Equity EMILY BECKMAN @emilybeckman7 In order to create a more “equitable and inclusive” University, the Office of Diversity and Equity is in the process of undergoing a major reorganization. The transition began in June and is expected to be completed by the end of the fiscal year, Jennifer Hamer, vice provost of the Office of Diversity and Equity said in an email with the Kansan. “The reorganization is part of an ongoing process of assessing our strengths, identifying overlapping goals and missions and enhancing our capacity to serve multiple constituencies in the KU community,” Hamer said. According to Hamer, the office’s strategic focuses include “institutional efforts and responsibility for greater equity and inclusion for all of KU, a more diverse and representative student body, faculty, staff and administration [and] a more active commitment to a community of care, belonging, and support for students, faculty and staff.” In the largest part of the reorganization, the office is being split into two divisions: Division I will focus on inclusive engagement, education and learning, while
Photo Illustration by Andrea Ringgenberg
Division II will deal with policies, protocols and assessment. “Though complementary, the two divisions each require a distinct set of strategic planning and implementation steps for accountability, progress and assessment,” Hamer said. “The reconfiguration of our offices enhances our capacity to adequately attend to each division of effort.” A major part of Division I, Hamer said, is the Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity (SGD) becoming a part of the Office of Diversity and Equity. “As part of this shift, Diversity and Equity has enhanced the SGD budget and is adding personnel, thus expanding its ability to meet campus demands,” she said. The Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity, Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), Multicultural Scholars Program and the Haskell American Indian Nations Liaison are also part of Division I. According to Emily Taylor Center Director Kathy RoseMockry, SGD, OMA and the Emily Taylor Center have already been collaborative, but the office’s reorganization will enhance that. “Our practice has always been to be good collaborators and supporters of each other. That will continue,” RoseMockry said. “It’ll probably be a little more intentional, and this will be a good thing, and we can maximize our resources even further.” As far as outcomes the Emily Taylor Center has seen from the reorganization, Rose-Mockry said it is too soon to tell but said she believes the reorganization will be helpful. “I think the intention to more clearly identify two tracks of the work that we do in Diversity and Equity – one focusing on policies and practices and the other on education, awareness and engagement – will be really helpful for the work we’re all trying to accomplish in addressing diversity and equity from a broader framework,” Rose-Mockry said Through the reorganization, the Office of Diversity and Equity’s location will remain in Strong Hall. Diversity and Equity, Hamer said, “is becoming a more prominent and central feature of the campus, its goals and its activities.” A public announcement of the reorganization is forthcoming, Hamer added. “We will announce the components that directly affect the everyday activities of students as they are implemented,” she said. “So the campus should expect additional announcements over the next several months.”
City seeks student input on long-range plan
KATIE BERNARD @KatieJ_Bernard Although the time any individual student spends in Lawrence may ultimately be only a blip in the city’s 162year history, the city is giving students an opportunity to impact the city for decades to come through an update to the comprehensive plan. Now through Oct. 23, community members and students are welcome to comment on that plan. In 1988, the city adopted Horizon 2020, a comprehensive plan which outlined how the City of Lawrence and rural Douglas County would handle growth over the years. Now, as the year 2020 is nearly here, the city is preparing to make major updates to that plan. “Horizon 2020 is a great plan,” said Mike Amyx, cochair of the steering committee. “But to really be effective we need to update it from time to time.” Amyx said this plan will impact parts of students’ daily lives in Lawrence. This includes everything from walkability of the city to preserving the culture of Law-
Kansan file photo Then-Mayor Mike Amyx speaks during a 2015 city commission meeting. Now, Amyx is helping update the city’s comprehensive plan and encouraging students to get involved. rence. “We’ve seen a number of things that deal with everything from development inside the community to transportation,” Amyx said. The city began updating the comprehensive plan with a list of 19 issues in 2013. Those issues included walkability and driveability in Lawrence, the history and
arts within the city, and the readability of the plan. “It covers a lot of issues within the urban and rural environment, so the way that the city grows and expands, and how commercial and industrial locations are located and interact with the greater whole,” said Jeff Crick, the city planner on the project.
The updated plan contains ideas for the expansion of the city that focus on growing Lawrence while maintaining the rural nature of Douglas County, as well as plans for parks and recreation and affordable housing. Bill Ackerly, a member of the steering committee, said much of the continued
growth in the downtown area was dependent on University students, faculty and staff. “We’ve tried to put a stronger focus on providing arts and culture, not just downtown, but across the city,” he said. Specific ideas for this outlined in the plan include incorporating the arts into
building projects and developing public-private partnerships for increased programming in the arts. Crick also said one major struggle for the committee has been adhering to community requests that the plan keep true to the character of Lawrence. He said that quality is something that is difficult to put into words. “One thing we’ve been trying to do is make sure the plan ensures that those things we think of as being Lawrence and Douglas County are preserved and enhanced through it,” he said. The city is currently taking name suggestions for the new plan as well as comments on the update. All suggestions must be submitted in writing via email or mail and will be read and considered at the first steering committee in November. After that, the plan remains to be approved and implemented by the city commission and individual departments.