Regents pass new statement on diversity

(Editor's Note: The following is a statement passed by the UW Board of Regents Friday reaffirming their commitment to diversity.)

The Board of Regents of the University of Washington hereby emphatically reaffirms the University's long-standing commitment to racial and cultural diversity in its student body. This commitment was first enunciated by the Board at its meeting of June 13, 1975 ("Special Educational Opportunities for Minorities and Women") and was reasserted at its meeting of Feb. 9, 1979 ("University of Washington Policy Statement on Admissions").

Now, as on both earlier occasions, the Regents recognize the important place the University of Washington occupies as Washington's largest institution of higher education and as one of the nation's leading public research universities. University of Washington students, and the society they will serve and lead, require the very best education this institution can provide. Among the educational resources the University has to offer is a diverse student body. Students educate each other, in the classroom and in many informal settings; they challenge one another's assumptions, they broaden one another's range of experience, and they teach one another to see the world from varied perspectives. Although the University should and does seek diversity of many kinds, racial and cultural diversity must be part of the mix. We cannot otherwise teach our students all that they need to know about the diverse society and the multinational economy in which they will be leading their lives.

We therefore direct the President and the University administration and faculty to continue to pursue the goal of racial and cultural diversity in the University of Washington student body, in all ways consistent with the laws of the state of Washington and the federal government. ¶