• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month,  May '03: Salute to Liberty
 • Days of Remembrance, April 27-May 4: For Your Freedom and Ours!
 • Asian Americans=Model Minority?
 • Peace Rally
 • ISUPW Hosts Donna Boe
• Genesis Project
Idaho State University
College of Education
 Diversity Committee Newsletter     
(April-May 2003)
http://ed.isu.edu/diversity
Dr. Pemberton (Chair),
Dr. Luckey, Dr. Wilkins, Dr. J. Strickland, Ms. Lori Head, Ms. Nancy Call, Ms. Xuejun Shen, Mr. Rafael S. Cde Baca Jr.

This is the last issue of the Committee newsletter for this school year. Enjoy Reading!
EDLP 800 Multilingual Signage Project
    EDLP 800 Doctoral Seminar students have been assigned the Committee project to research the need and cost of multilingual signage in the College of Education (COE) and Reed Gym. Finding that students from 56 countries are present on Idaho State University (ISU) campus, the doctoral students further surveyed COE students' perceptions as to whether focusing on a few languages would promote diversity or lead to exclusion. The survey results indicated the majority of the respondents agreed that the COE needs to do more to promote cultural diversity (62%) and welcomed the idea of multilingual signage (70%). Furthermore, the majority of the participants agreed that signage should include four most-represented languages (57%) and the practice won't increase the risk of alienating some students (57%). An estimation of signage cost was also reported.
   The multilingual signage project was proposed to the COE leadership team and was well received. Dean Harris has authorized the Committee to further explore options and possibilities.
Harris Is Educator of Year
   Dean Larry B. Harris was recently chosen as Outstanding Educator of the Year by the ISU chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education. While under his leadership, ISU COE has significantly increased the number of international students in the educator preparation programs. Over the past year, Harris has worked closely with Kuwait University and the Kuwait Ministry of Education in teacher education reform. His commitment to setting high standards for future teachers has promoted excellence in ISU education students and won national recognition.--Headlines @ ISU
ISU Students Attended Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Annual Conference
   Twelve ISU students attended CEC Annual Conference Apr. 9-12 in Seattle, WA. Their attendances were made possible by student fund raising efforts and Dean Harris' support. ISU had the largest number of student volunteers at the Conference. Among them, Rafael S. Cde Baca Jr. and LeeAnn Koval also serve on the International CEC Standing Committee on Students, and are involved in the current CEC restructuring. The CEC is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. The ISU chapter of CEC will hold a Spring Festival celebration for children with and without disabilities on May 1 in COE.
NCLB Guidance on Assessing Special Populations
   On Mar. 10, U.S. Department of Education released Non-Regulatory Draft Guidance on Standards and Assessments to assist implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This document provides guidance on assessment accommodations of special populations, such as students with disabilities, covered under Section 504, and Limited English Proficient (LEP), migrant students. The Department is also preparing a technical addendum and a peer review manual for standards and assessments.
 Genesis Project
   "Young gay, bi and curious guys coming together to build a strong and supportive community" is central to the mission of this community program. Core Group Meetings are held every Wed. at 5:30 PM at the ISU JC Anderson Gender Resource Center. The Coffee Night is offered every Wed. from 8-10 PM at Main Street Coffee and News in Pocatello, and every third Mon. of the month at the Barnes and Noble Cafe in Idaho Falls from 7:00pm. Other upcoming activities sponsored by this program include:
   • Confidence (Building Physical Strength); Apr. 26; Space is limited, call today to reserve your spot; • DIVA: 8th Wonder Of The World (Dress Show); May 3, 7:30 PM; Pond Student Union Building (PSUB) Ballroom; • Meditation Workshop hosted by Rain; May 18, 4:00 PM; PSUB
   For further information, please call Scott Tims at 282-5312. --www.genesisproj.com  
 ISU Student Receives Fulbright
   ISU graduate Jared Steadman has been awarded a Fulbright Teaching Scholarship to Austria. Jared, a Pocatello native, graduated from ISU in Dec. with a degree in German and now lives in Idaho Falls. He will teach English part time and attend an Austrian university for a duration of 9 months. This is the second Fulbright Teaching Scholarship that has been awarded to an ISU student. In Oct. 2000, another ISU German major, Brett Rawlins, traveled to Austria on a Fulbright. The Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by former Sen. William Fulbright of Arkansas, and awards approximately 4,500 new grants annually. The process is very selective.--Headlines @ ISU
 Xuejun Shen Goes to Stanford University (SU)
    ISU COE student Xuejun Shen will go to SU School of Education to pursue her Ph.D. degree on a Stanford Graduate Fellowship from Fall 2003. Xuejun came from China  to study in the M.Ed. program in ISU Department of Educational Leadership (Department) from Fall 2001, and will graduate in Aug. She has been a graduate assistant to the Committee and the Department.
Foreign Films
April 28 - 29 Ararat (French)
May 5 - 6 Beijing Bicycle (Mandarin)
   Unless otherwise indicated, all showings will be at 8 PM at the PSUB theater. All films include English Subtitles. Free with valid Bengal cards. Click on the hyperlinks to view brief introduction of the movies.

Asian Pacific American Heritage (APAH) Month, May '03: Salute to Liberty
   In 1979, a joint resolution declared the first APAH Week as May 4-10, 1979. In 1990, President George Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long. Finally, Public Law 102-450 approved in 1992, designated May of each year APAH Month. Asian Pacific American is a political appellation that encompasses many ethnic groups with diverse backgrounds, histories, languages, and cultures. APAH Month celebrates the collective accomplishments of these communities. --Federal Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights Executives Web Site
May Days of Remembrance: For Your Freedom and Ours! --Apr. 27-May 4
   Holocaust Remembrance Day is a day that has been set aside for remembering the victims of the Holocaust in World War II and for reminding Americans of what can happen to civilized people when bigotry, hatred and indifference reign. The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. This is the date on which Israel commemorates the victims of the Holocaust. The date, which comes from Hebrew calendar, falls on Apr. 29 in 2003. The week of Remembrance runs from the Sunday before through the Sunday after the actual date. For further information, please visit the Web site of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Peace Rally -- May 3
   A rally in celebration of diversity and peace will be held on May 3 from noon at PSUB Quad. The rally is sponsored by the Idaho Progressive Student Alliance and a dozen of other student organizations, including Pocatello in Peace and Hispanic Awareness Leadership Organization. There will be performing bands and speeches given by speakers from all over Idaho. Food will be offered during concessions. For further information, please call Jamie Bailey at 223-0375.
Donna Boe Speaks at ISUPW Meeting -- May 7
   ISU Professional Women’s organization (ISUPW) will host state Reps. Donna Boe at 6-7:30 PM May 7 in the PSUB Bear River Room. The topic of the meeting is “Women in Leadership.” The public is invited to attend. There will be time for questions after the presentation. Refreshments will be served. --Headlines @ ISU
   During Apr. 8 lunch with ISU President, university administrative officials updated reports addressing the queries ISUPW submitted in Dec. last year. The queries include ISU mentoring program, salary equity study for exempt employees, minority recruitment and retention, etc. All ISU female employees and graduate students are welcome to join ISUPW. For membership information, please contact Kathleen Dohse, 282-3700.
Multi-culture Banquet -- May 10
    A banquet in celebration of multi-culture on ISU campus will be held on May 10 from 7 PM  in PSUB Ballroom. The event is hosted by the Student Affairs Office and the Associated Students of ISU in recognition of graduating students in ISU multicultural organizations, and in appreciation of multi-culture and international relationships those students and organizations bring to ISU. This is the second time for the year end event. For more information, please contact Ram Eddings at 282-2795.
 Asian Americans = Model Minority ???
   The term "model minority" was coined by journalist William Peterson in a 1994 article for The New York Times Magazine. The phrase has been used as a catch-all to describe Asian Americans as the hard-working, well-educated, successful minority race.  --www.racerelations.about.com
   While superficially complimentary to Asian Americans, the real purpose and effect of this portrayal is to celebrate the status quo in race relations. First, by over-emphasizing Asian American success, it de-emphasizes the problems Asian Americans continue to face from racial discrimination in all areas of public and private life. Second, by misrepresenting Asian American success as proof that America provides equal opportunities for those who conform and work hard, it excuses American society from careful scrutiny on issues of race in general, and on the persistence of racism against Asian Americans in particular. ---www.modelminority.com
    Twenty-eight Asian Pacific Organizations filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court in spport of the continuation of the University of Michigan's Affirmative Action programs. "We felt it was important to make a statement in support of affirmative action because Asian Pacific Americans are too often used as a pawn in the affirmative action debate," said Stewart Kwoh, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. "Pacific Americans continue to experience discrimination in many arenas and affirmative action is still necessary to address glass ceiling issues and exclusion from business opportunities," said Karen K. Narasaki, President and Executive Director of National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC). --www.napalc.org
Note:
The images in this newsletter were retrieved from the NAPALC Web site http://www.napalc.org and the Creature Corner Web site http://www.jsmagic.net/creaturebutterflies/