Diversity is a hot national topic these days, but many at Eastern feel the university is on the right track to improving diversity.

In Grutter/Gratz v. University of Michigan, arguably the most controversial diversity case in history, the university is facing scrutiny for the school’s race-based enrollment policies. The university awards points on entry exams to minorities.

President George W. Bush said Wednesday the university’s policies are unconstitutional. Bush filed a friend of the court brief for the case against the University of Michigan, which the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling on in the next three months.

But Eastern officials said that type of situation will never happen here.

Dale Wolf, director of admissions, said race can’t be used in determining admission into Eastern. A potential student’s racial or ethnic background is not asked on an application.

Wolf said his staff tries to recruit a variety of students from all over the state, but the university does not have to meet a certain affirmative-action quota.

Johnetta Jones, director of minority affairs, said the minority population at Eastern is currently about 10 percent.

Interim President Lou Hencken said he is a big believer in increasing diversity at Eastern. He said students who attend diverse schools fare better in society.

“There has been an objective or a goal of sorts to have the university’s population match diversity in the state,” Jones said. “If we are to educate students to live in a multi-ethnic world, we need a living laboratory or a reflection of that world.”

Ten percent is a good start, although that figure doesn’t quite match state statistics, Jones said, but she has noticed an increase in minority enrollment in the last four or five years.

Working in the office of minority affairs, Jones assists a variety of students, including African-Americans and Hispanics. She said students respond differently to the challenge of being a minority on a small campus and many choose to surround themselves with people of similar backgrounds.

Jones said she has mixed emotions about minority groups and organizations, but she said minority students on this campus assume they have no limits on what they can do.

“When you have groups and organizations that are Hispanic or African-American only, they’re not exclusionary — they simply like to associate together. There’s safety and comfort in numbers,” Jones said.

Phi Beta Sigma, a fraternity with all black members, embraces anyone who wants to join, provided they meet a 2.5 grade point average, said

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President Earl Solomon. “There were a few white guys interested in joining last semester, but their grades weren’t there,” Solomon said. “When we meet people, we view them as individuals. We don’t look at ethnicity-we look at character.”

Solomon said diversity is improving at Eastern, but a lot of work needs to be done, especially when it comes to minorities and non-minorities interacting.

“I think the campus is diverse, but students and staff need to step out of their comfort zones and work with other groups,” said Monique Cook-Bey, assistant director of student life.

For instance, Cook-Bey said many students assume the Miss Black EIU Pageant is open to African-American women only. The pageant, which pays tribute to African-American culture, is open to any contestant and was created to promote diversity.

Despite certain misconceptions, students in general have a very high support rate for diversity on campus, said Cynthia Nichols, director of civil rights.

Nichols launched an ongoing study on diversity with members of the psychology department in the fall of 2001. Through a telephone survey of random students, many questions on diversity, campus climate and overall attitude about the university yielded positive results.

Of those surveyed 96 percent said it was important to have a diverse student body. The overall attitude about Eastern was highly favorable, and the study found that students felt they were treated fairly in the classroom despite their differences.

“It’s clear from the responses that students recognize that diversity on campus is an important issue, just as it is in society,” Nichols said. “Yet there remains a number of issues that need to be explored and addressed to continue to improve the campus climate.”

Some students involved in the survey said interaction between different groups of people doesn’t happen as much as they would like, and a large number said students should be required to take classes on diversity.

“We’re planning on resurveying this coming fall, but this spring we want to have focus groups on a variety of narrowed topics to get clear perceptions on what students say about each other,” Nichols said.

Another event to promote diversity planned for this spring is a student government- sponsored “Unity Week.”

Lisa Flam, student vice president for student affairs, is organizing “Unity Week,” which will feature motivational speakers, open forums and student-provided entertainment to celebrate all differences.

“Unity Week” will take a broad look at diversity, focusing on more than just racial and cultural differences, Flam said.

“The university has made a valid attempt to increase minorities and bring more international students to Eastern,” she said. “Let’s take a second and understand the awesomeness of this and be proud of the fact that these things are happening on our campus.”