The University Student Senate feels it is important that students have access to reports that work to expand the current campus dialogue around various issues at The New School. Below is a list of various reports that USS has released to the student body at large.
Desegregating Diversity: From Myth to Mandate
In Spring 2009 the Provost’s office commissioned a Working Group to review social justice issues at The New School and write a report outlining their findings. In November 2009 a report entitled “Desegregating Diversity: From Myth to Mandate,” was presented to the administration. This report has been circulated at various administrative levels, including the recently formed Social Justice Committee, but has not been released to the larger New School community.
The USS believes the entire university community has a right to access this report, and does not support its continued withholding. The USS has a positive obligation, as student representatives, to bring issues impacting students up for public discussion. This report clearly demonstrates the impacts of social injustice on the experience of students at The New School, and points to new opportunities for our community to give these important matters sufficient attention. We believe that releasing the report will better inform our community of the scope of social justice concerns within The New School, help to foster a more expansive discussion about necessary changes, and also demonstrate a commitment on the part of students to take these issues seriously in our community.
We recognize that this move may concern those who have chosen to not yet release the report; however, we believe a greater harm is done by withholding this information from the community. As such, our actions are motivated by our desire to foster positive change at The New School, and not to create any unnecessary internal conflicts. We believe the findings and recommendations of this report provide an important first step in this process, and hope they will inform future discussions on these issues which are critical to the quality of each of our experiences at The New School.
The USS will be hosting a series of events in Spring 2011 to further advance and discuss challenges and opportunities on these issues here at The New School. We look forward to continuing our work with the Social Justice Committee, the Office of the Provost and the incoming President to ensure these concerns are a top priority for the university. We welcome suggestions and feedback from the entire university on how to best address these serious issues in an open, honest and supportive way. Each of us joined The New School community because we desire a better world and see ourselves as changemakers. Working together, we can create opportunities to make our school a continuously evolving, progressive institution that we are proud of.
The New School Free Press’s article on the release of the report can be found here.
