DON'T SAY THE UNIVERSITY HASN'T SALUTED DIVERSITY

Southeast Missouri State University at one time came under fire for its weak performance in attracting minority students and faculty to campus. Significant strides were made in that regard during the 1980s and are still being made. During a time of budgetary distress, the university is sparing no expense in trying to ensure an environment of ethnic diversity and understanding. We note the efforts here and propose those critics of the university's racial climate take note, too.

Consider recent endeavors at the university. While the university is suffering a new round of budget setbacks (state withholdings from the original budget have amounted to $1.8 million for this fiscal year), Southeast has earmarked $67,000 this fiscal year promoting minority enrollment and ethnic diversity. (It bears noting that Southeast has more black students enrolled than other state-supported universities in Joplin, St. Joseph, Maryville, Kirksville, Springfield and Rolla.) Thirty-thousand dollars of that earmarked amount is intended to enhance a "multicultural environment," while another $29,000 will go toward increasing cultural outreach activities.

The Faculty Senate recommended to the Board of Regents last week that the university celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday as a school holiday beginning in 1992. The regents have yet to act on the proposal, though approval would be consistent with other efforts of "sensitivity." Again, if a paid holiday is the standard for celebrating this occasion (as the contentious point has been made in Arizona), the monetary commitment is considerable. Using Fiscal 1990 figures (personnel costs of more than $36.3 million), the daily payroll at the university averages $99,695. That figure will be increased by January 1992. In terms of taxpayer interest in the subject, this form of recognition is not quite as simple as just canceling classes for a day.

Beyond that, the university acts in other ways to instill racial and cultural understanding. Black History Month is observed each February with a number of programs and activities on campus. The university has a Center for International Studies and holds special functions that expose the campus and community to global cultures. This year, a 20-member university task force developed a five-year plan for producing "a more ethnically diverse campus."

Whether the financial and manpower resources expended in these efforts are justifiable in terms of overall goals for the university might be open to argument. What is inarguable is Southeast's vigor in making the commitment to ethnic diversity. Those critical of the school for not doing enough in this regard should know better.