Rose celebrates Dr. King

Martin Luther King Day was Monday, January 15. Rather than only recognize the day with one event, the Diversity Council hosted five. On Wednesday, President Gerald Jakubowski addressed some leaders from the student body, saying that “Diversity is very, very important to me. One of the disappointing things about Rose-Hulman is we are not a very diverse campus,” going on to state that recruiters complain about the lack of diversity. “I’m just not talking about racial diversity,” explained Jakubowski, commenting that when students graduate, they need to understand different cultures, religions, ethnicities, etc. “I believe [we] at Rose-Hulman need to do a better job on diversity.”

On Monday, the Diversity Council sponsored a film called “Eyes on the Prize.” Caroline Carvill, Chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department and Professor of Amerian Literature, facilitated a discussion afterwards.

Tuesday morning, Rose-Students that reserved a spot were able to participate in a breakfast where Katheline Utley gave a speech entitled ‘A Dream Deferred”. Utley is the chair of the Foreign Language Department at Terre Haute North Vigo High School. Utley received an honorary doctorate from Rose-Hulman in 2002. Tuesday Afternoon, Molly Secours discussed how speaking in hushed tones regarding race increases the divide between members of each race.

“Diversity is a day to day concern and opportunity to learn and not just a topic for one day or week of the year,” stated Donna Gustafson, chair of the Diversity Council. Assistant Professor of English Mark Minster expressed, “Ideally, we’d stretch a holiday that celebrates diversity and service every day of the year.”

Wednesday morning, about 70 student leaders and faculty members were invited to a luncheon discussing the Golden Rule, as it is presented in eight religions and even a brief nod to physics. “If we want to promote diversity, we need to start with our student leaders,” said Jakubowski. Minster gave the main presentation, which professed that the tension between thought, feeling, and action was not good.

“This separation [between science and religion] is … condescending nonsense,” said Minster. “Distrust any talk that isn’t supported by practice,” he added. During the presentation, five Rose-Hulman faculty and staff discussed Buddhism, Shintoism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity.

“The Diversity Council members have been pleased and encouraged by the attendance at this week’s events,” said Gustafson.