The Diversity Committee was established as the “Multicultural Program Committee” in 1990. After a series of incidents at Utica College, other local colleges, and in the Utica community drew attention to the divisions that still existed between members of our community based on race and ethnicity, Utica College spearheaded the first Unity March in 1989.
The
initial Unity March was sponsored by the Black Student Union as an
expression of racial unity, with the intention of bringing together
members of the Utica College community to proactively address issues of
race and ethnicity on campus and in our community. Members of local
colleges, including SUNY Morrisville, Colgate University, Hamilton
College, MVCC, and SUNY Tech participate as well.
One
of the outcomes of the many discussions that occurred that year was the
establishment of the “Multicultural Program Committee” in 1990. In
1991, the “Program” part of the Committee name was dropped, and it
became the Multicultural Committee and an integral part of the
governance system at Utica College. The focus of the committee also
broadened to include issues of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation,
abilities, etc. The name of the committee was changed to the Diversity
Committee, and it continues as a College committee with
membership that includes faculty, staff, and students across disciplines
and offices.