“I feel that the university talks about diversity. It talks about being an inclusive community, but behind the scenes they don’t prioritize [the Hispanic] community. Yes, we have the Latino studies minor, but it took 10 years for the university to approve it,” Ruiz said.
During a presentation of the survey’s findings, both Hernandez and Brandon Dula, assistant director of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union for Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy, agreed that more needed to be done on the part of the university to inform to students about existing programs and resources.
The survey also revealed that the conversation of diversity at UMD failed to address specific Hispanic concerns.
“When we’re talking about diversity, it’s a thin line that we tread because everyone becomes homogenous. You don’t really know who you are talking or talking about,” said Hernandez. “We do not have to reinvent the wheel, but we must do a better job of bringing all the stakeholders together: students, faculty and staff.”
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