Racial discrimination is an issue that’s been seen recently on campus.
Gwen Anderson, director of the Multicultural Center, believes that although some racial discrimination occurs, UVU is still a safe place for students of different ethnicities.
“We need to learn to be color wise, not color blind,” said Gwen Anderson, director of the Multicultural Center. “To be able to see differences and appreciate them for the variety they bring.”
Anderson said UVU has less hate crimes and racial tension than many other college campuses in the nation. She believes UVU students are overall good to each other in understanding personal differences and diversity, and many faculty members as well have worked to make the campus a better place for all students.
However, the bulk of upsetting racial problems Anderson has seen have come from faculty and staff.
For example, at the end of fall semester, a complaint was filed through the university’s Department of Human Resources stating that the custodial department was mistreating students based on the color of their skin.
The complaint was from a former custodial student worker who said he was often offended by coworker’s rude remarks directed at him because of his ethnicity. The offensive comments were made in front of supervisors without any intervention, which made him feel he was being talked down to. He also said little effort was made by supervisors to learn the names of the ethnic workers.
The student now has a job in a different department on campus where he feels respected, but he acknowledges hardships for minorities to get a job on UVU campus that isn’t in the cafeteria or custodial work.
Although some minority students may feel discriminated because of their ethnicity, UVU provides the resources to report it. To report a complaint regarding discrimination, visit http://www.uvu.edu/hrs/forms/index.html to download the grievance complaint form and give to Human Resources at BA 110. An Equity Officer will investigate and resolve the complaint.
