While today's campus forum on
diversity underscores Berkeley's stepped-up efforts to address
issues of inclusion, Nzingha Dugas, the newly appointed African
American Student Development (AASD) coordinator, confronts the
problem on the ground every single day.
AASD is one of five offices in the
Multicultural Student Development unit (part of the Undergraduate
Education division) that affirm individual and collective
experiences and encourage students' intellectual achievement and
involvement in campus life — primarily through academic and
multicultural activities.
Dugas' central charge is to ensure
the academic success and graduation of African American students,
in addition to preparing them for graduate school or identifying
professional opportunities. "What's most important is letting
students know we're here and speaking to their concerns," says
Dugas. Those concerns are numerous, according to a phone and
e-mail survey of 50 African American students who graduated in
spring 2004. Berkeley's black students can feel isolated, have
encountered subtle forms of racism and stereotypes from non-black
faculty and students, and suffer from the dearth of other African
American students and faculty members on campus. Current trends
are not encouraging: Of the 3,671 Berkeley freshmen who enrolled
in fall 2004, only 108 (2.94 percent) were African American.
The experience of Berkeley's
African American students mirrors Dugas' own as an ethnic-studies
major at San Francisco State University 20 years ago. "I can still
remember being the only black person in a class," she says,
reflecting on the alienation that spurred her involvement in
"every student group I could be in." That same level of
over-commitment can be found among Berkeley's black students.
Before taking her new position, Dugas had a 13-year stint managing
programs and leadership workshops for undergrads and grads in the
Graduate Assembly, where she frequently saw black student leaders
who were "overwhelmed." She decided to pursue the AASD position,
she says, because "I really want to help make a difference for
black students and the campus at large." To that end, Dugas
typically puts in a 13-hour day.
Dugas notes that when she ventures
out on Sproul Plaza, it's not unusual to sees a solitary black
face in a sea of 200 students. Because of the small number of
African American students on campus and data that indicate that
they often feel like they don't belong here, Dugas knows she faces
challenges. But these are challenges she is prepared to address.
"One major task I'd like to accomplish is to help more black
students find a 'comfort zone' on campus," she says.
Some African American students
report that they get passed over when students in large lecture
classes are asked to form small groups. "When students are
required to self-select, they tend to choose other people they
think they'll be comfortable with," offers Dugas.
In January, Vice Provost for
Undergraduate Education Christina Maslach e-mailed deans and
department chairs with suggestions on ways for them to help create
inclusive small groups in large classes (teaching.berkeley.edu/classroom_groups.html),
requesting their assistance in disseminating the information to
faculty and graduate-student instructors. Though it's too soon to
ascertain the impact, Dugas plans to solicit feedback from
students on the success of the effort.
Planning in process — stay tuned
Dugas, who has been in her new
position only since January, will be spending the next few months
on strategic planning. Her approach begins with a simple but
essential step — listening. "We want students to tell us what they
need, so they'll be more inclined to participate," explains Dugas,
who intends to create student outreach teams by drawing from a
variety of student organizations.
She is also excited about her plan
to assemble a cross-disciplinary academic advisory team, so that
she can stay apprised of African American students' classroom
progress. A dramatic change in classroom attendance, for instance,
might signal that a student is grappling with problems and has not
asked for help. "Early intervention can make a significant
difference in students' academic success," Dugas notes. "My hope
is to take a holistic approach, which would include looking at all
aspects of the students' academic experience."
Part of Dugas' five-year plan
includes assessing AASD's resources to determine what it will need
to make a lasting impact. For Dugas, evaluating results means
tracking the students AASD serves and identifying educational
outcomes during and after their time at Berkeley. "If we have good
evaluative information, we can continue to improve our services,"
she says. Finally, Dugas says she would like to build a
collaborative relationship with community-based organizations that
share her vision.
Fortunately, Dugas is not in the
struggle alone. The five offices in Multicultural Student
Development are working together to build the unit's resources.
"This is a really a collective environment," says Dugas. "What we
hope to accomplish is to support our target agendas as well as to
reach out to others, because diversity, excellence, and success
are things that benefit everybody."
Date published: 3/02/2005
- UC Berkeley News
