PCEMI Archived Initiatives

Do ethnic minority groups feel comfortable at UM? How has the institution’s historical legacy of inclusion or exclusion shaped the campus climate? Do ethnic minorities make full use of the resources available on campus? PCEMI continues to monitor campus life and work for underrepresented members of our campus.

• Dr. Jeffrey Milem, Professor and Principal Investigator for the Diverse Democracy Project on the UM campus. Dr. Milem and his graduate students presented their preliminary findings from surveys of first-year UM students.
• Impact of campus policies on programs sponsored by culturally-based organizations. PCEMI is investigating the cancellations of cultural programs sponsored by the Hindu Student Council and the Iranian Student Organization due to campus policies on the use of facilities and outdoor space.

• Invited the Directors of Admissions and Financial Aid Offices to speak about recruitment and retention policies and programs, and financial support for undergraduate students.
• Invited the Director of the Office of Recruitment, Retention, and Diversity for Graduate Studies.
• Reviewing the Office of Multiethnic Student Education (OMSE) programs and services for ethnic students. This review stemmed from the recent PCEMI report, “Numbers are Not Enough.” A report and set of recommendations will be submitted to President Mote by the end of this semester.

Before engaging in extensive discussions and submitting policy and programmatic recommendations to the President regarding these issues, the Commission invites University officials who have formal responsibility for these areas, to make a presentation and answer questions at Commission meetings.

As an advisory group to the President, The Commission and several of its members were active participants in the review and authorship of the following reports:

Asian, Hispanic and Native American Task Force Report (AHNA Executive Summary)

The report details the status of Asian, Hispanic, and Native American students, faculty, and staff at the University of Maryland, College Park campus.

Action Plan: A Memo from President William E. Kirwan

An action plan in response to studies of progress toward diversity goals for African American faculty, staff, and students.

Access is Not Enough (.txt)

A report to the president concerning opportunities for Blacks at the University of Maryland, 1989.

Numbers Are Not Enough: Findings and Recommendations

A report to President Dan Mote, Jr., for the years September 2000-May 2002, on the status of minority students at the UMD campus; presented by Dr. Lee Thornton.

PCEMI investigated the alleged unfairness in UM’s policy on religious holidays. The Commission felt that while the tone of the latter suggests that we are sensitive to religious diversity, the policy appears slanted toward one religion. Thus, the Commission requested policy changes to erase unintended unfairness.

During AY 1998 – 1999, the Commission developed a campaign to better inform the campus regarding Racial, Religion, Ethnic, Sexual Orientation, and Disability (RRESD) incidents on campus. This campaign included the distribution of brochures and posters to provide members of the UM community with ways to easily report RRESD incidents.