UNIVERSITY LIBRARY COMMITTEE ON DIVERSITY
DAVIS
ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002

May 31, 2002

TO: Marilyn Sharrow, University Librarian

FROM: Buzz Haughton, Co-chair, Library Diversity Committee

RE: Annual Report of Library Diversity Committee, 2001-2002

During this academic year the Library Diversity Committee, comprised of myself [Buzz Haughton (Co-chair)], Patricia Reynoso (Co-chair), Linda Moser, Daniel Goldstein, Kieu Truong, Pauline Roddan and Charles Clark, sponsored four programs.

The first program was November 19, 2001, when the committee hosted a talk by Dan Beaman, ASUCD Vice Chair, who described the sometimes bitter controversy that enveloped the ASUCD election campaign in spring 2001. Dan was part of a progressive ticket that was accused of having undue influence and unfair election practices by conservative opponents, to the extent that the victory of his group was temporarily overturned by the ASUCD Supreme Court.

The second program took place February 8, 2002, when Karen Roth, director of the Campus Office of Diversity, moderated a showing of the film Not In Our Town, describing the reaction of the citizenry of a town in Montana to a series of hate crimes. Various groups consolidated to express their firm support for the rights of minorities of all kinds.

The third program was April 16, 2002, consisting of Barbara Metcalf, professor of history, who spoke about the Islamic world and culture. There were many questions from the library staff attending, in an effort to better understand this culture about which many of us know little.

The final program took place on May 24, 2002, when Karen Roth returned to moderate another film, True Colors, which was a copy of an episode of the Frontline television program. The episode traced two young men, one white and one black, as they shopped, looked for work and tried to rent apartments in Saint Louis, Missouri. The two were filmed and taped covertly as they went about town. The ways in which the two were perceived and treated were quite different and highly revealing. Library staff had the opportunity to express their reactions to the film and describe personal experiences afterward.

The committee is pleased with the topics covered as well as the quality of our programs over the past year. We are hopeful that more library staff will avail themselves of the Diversity Committee’s program offerings in the future.

Cc: George Bynon, AUL; Diversity Committee member