Having a Eurocentric curriculum only provides one perspective and therefore doesn’t benefit students.
I agree with the conclusion that the Committee came to. It is important to make efforts to improve diversity in among all of the departments at the University of Minnesota so it also reflects the makeup of the student body. Three of the issues cited in the article are about the lack of diversity in the staff, diversity in the curriculum and a gender pay gap.
Based on the University of Minnesota’s mission statement, it is the duty of this University to enrich the greater community with its research and discovery while also having diverse students and faculty.
Evidently, the English department does not meet all three categories of the Universities mission statement. In order to enrich the greater community, it is important to have the best educational programs that benefit the students and having a Eurocentric curriculum only provides one perspective and therefore doesn’t benefit students. One of the best ways to provide a different perspective so that the students benefit is by also having faculty that have different backgrounds.
In conclusion, I agree with the committees plan to improve all three of the issues cited in the next three years and also support the intentions of the University to make those changes in the future.
Abdullahi Sahal is a junior at the University of Minnesota.
This letter to the editor has been lightly edited for style and clarity.
