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Show THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH INTEREST CONVERGENCE IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH'S DIVERSITY POLICIES AND PROGRAMS Geneva Thompson (Ronald Coleman) Department of History University of Utah This paper will look at the history of interest convergence of the University of Utah Administration in the implementation of diversity related programs and policies. Diversity programs and policies, especially with the pending ruling on Affirmative Action from the Supreme Court, are continuously under scrutiny and called into question throughout the broader University community. In order to develop a strong platform for these programs and policies there needs to be an understanding of the history of w h y these institutions were implemented and w h o the main actors were. Without understanding the history of the development of a policy or program there cannot be a sufficient understanding of the current relevance or success. When looking at the motivations and reasons for the development of a policy or program there needs to be an understanding of the key players during the creation of the policy or program. The sources uses throughout this thesis are interviews with integral people during the creation and implementation of a policy or program and researching in the University and Marriot Library archives. For the last section of the paper most of the research was centered around current day students and discussion groups created to gather their perspectives of campus climate at the University of Utah and provide some future outlook for the University. Utah and the University of Utah has a culture of niceness where not many people are willing to actively go against ideas of diversity and inclusions. What has been commonly found though is that the policies and programs that have been successful have had a series of interest convergences. These convergences are not normally negative, but the policies or programs are stopped when white privilege and power are checked. Understanding how interest convergence has a role in the history of diversity policies and programs allows current day students, faculty, and staff here at the University of Utah understand how to navigate these tough situations when developing new policies and programs and working to keep these programs and policies effective for the members of the University community. |
