Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

U of R commission on race & diversity releases final report.

rochester.edu

A commission on race and diversity at the University of Rochester is out with its final report. 

The commission was set up after protests at the U of R a year ago, with dozens of students rallying  to complain about what they felt was a campus  that is less than welcoming for people of color.

The Dean of the College at the U of R, Richard Feldman says a number of the concerns that were expressed by those students have been addressed separately. He says the commission’s report takes a broader approach on issues of race and diversity.

Among the recommendations is to have the university president establish a presidential diversity council, made up of university leaders.

“What it does is assign clear responsibility to key leaders in the university to be accountable for, and take responsibility for our efforts in the area of diversity,” Feldman told WXXI News.

Feldman does believe the U of  R has worked to provide an inclusive atmosphere for a long time, but he says they can do better.  

“I think events around the country and on campus focused our attention more on it recently, and I think one of the goals we have in making the recommendations we did as a commission is to make sure the university keeps its attention on this."

The U of R will be accepting emailed comments to University President Joel Seligman on the latest report and there will be town hall meetings on November 1st and 2nd.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.