What would our campus look like without our affinity groups? What would our world look like if diversity, equity and inclusion organizations were not accessible to students who need them? These are questions we must now consider, due to the growing prevalence of an anti-inclusivity sentiment that is spreading across the nation.
Student-led groups like the Black Student Alliance (BSA), Latine Student Alliance (LSA), Asian Student Alliance (ASA) and so many others work to promote cultural competence in our DU community.
ASA Treasurer Catalina Palacios describes cultural competence as “the ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures and backgrounds. This includes an understanding of cultural values, beliefs and practices, as well as an awareness of the social, economic and political factors that affect different communities.”
In a world that is becoming more and more globalized, the cultural competence that Palacios describes is increasingly necessary. However, in states across the nation, legislation that would spell disaster for organizations like affinity groups has been proposed.
Late last month, the Florida State Legislature began debates regarding a proposed bill that would ban Florida state colleges and universities from using their funding to “promote, support, or maintain any programs or campus activities that espouse diversity, equity, or inclusion [DEI] or Critical Race Theory rhetoric.”
This proposed ban is one of many aimed at reducing or completely eliminating the presence of diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses. Though many of these bills allegedly only restrict funding for these organizations, many believe that the language of the bills is too vague. Many worry that the bills could be interpreted to ban the existence of college DEI initiatives altogether.
Such a restriction would virtually erase the effectiveness of campus affinity groups. As a result, campus culture and social health would suffer. Palacios described how a decision like this would negatively affect students on the campuses under the newly proposed legislation.
“Students from underrepresented groups feel marginalized and unsupported on campus, which negatively impacts their academic performance and overall well-being,” she said. “Additionally, without exposure to diverse cultures and perspectives, students may lack the cultural competence necessary to navigate an increasingly diverse world.”
The Colorado legislature has not yet proposed or passed any such legislation. However, it is not impossible for anti-DEI sentiment to grow on Colorado college campuses. The fact that the University of Denver would invite someone like Ilya Shapiro to speak on our campus, despite his history of racially-charged comments and obvious anti-DEI sentiment, displays this clearly.
In fact, it would not be the first time affinity groups have faced issues with funding over the years. Palacios explained that sometimes, as is the case with any club on campus, affinity groups can find themselves in need of additional funding in order to provide the best experiences possible for students. However, the process of obtaining this is not always easy, even today.
“This is difficult because most of the time the student representatives are predominantly white so they don’t understand that some events aren’t for fun but rather it is needed,” she said. “This is why there was a large push to reorganize how DIVCOM [USG Diversity Committee] allocates funds. However, this fell through when it was found out that even ethnic frat/sorority groups didn’t receive funding from FSL, rather it fell on DIVCOM.”
Affinity groups like ASA must seek funding through a subsection of the DU Undergraduate Student Government (USG) called DIVCOM. Treasurers from the various organizations must make their case to DIVCOM as to why their organizations need the funding.
If DIVCOM does not allocate enough funds for an organization, it cannot ask the committee for any additional base allocation. Organizations like ASA have had issues in the past with not receiving enough funding for their operations. In this case, they have needed to resort to appealing to other USG subsections such as the Sustainability Committee for additional funding, as DIVCOM would not provide it.
When taken in the context of the nationwide push to defund diversity-related groups on college campuses, the troubles affinity groups have had with DIVCOM funding is troubling news.
As Palacios stated, “Without cultural competence, those in charge may overlook the needs of diverse communities and fail to allocate resources effectively. This can perpetuate disparities and exacerbate existing inequities on campus.”
A lack of funding for organizations like ASA and other affinity groups would be highly detrimental to students across DU, regardless of race or background. It is our duty as civically responsible citizens and college students to ensure that this future is never realized.
To learn more about the many affinity groups found around DU, see the Cultural Center’s list of affinity groups.
