SPEC increases minority presence

After an extensive and often acrimonious debate over the role of minorities in student government, the Social Planning and Events Committee voted last night to put extra emphasis on minority concerns. The SPEC steering committee voted to create a permanent non-voting position for a United Minorities Council representative to the SPEC executive committee. Members also voted to form a SPEC committee to address minority concerns because many campus-wide events in the past have not appealed to minorities. But participants bitterly debated how the minority committee would select its director, and towards the end of the meeting United Minorities Council Vice Chairperson John Shu stormed out of the meeting in anger. Before Shu left, SPEC members voted to allow the committee -- which will be open to all University community members -- to elect its own director. The director must be approved by the UMC special representative to SPEC. Shu, who said that he was not speaking on behalf of the UMC, argued that although the UMC representative can veto the choice of director, such a veto would only leave the minority concerns committee without leadership. He said that since the committee is open to anyone, individuals who do not represent the minority community could be the majority and could render the committee ineffective by choosing directors whom the UMC would not approve. Shu said that if there were a protracted fight between the committee and the UMC, minorities would lose their voice on SPEC. "It is evident that the majority of members in SPEC are either unaware or insensitive to minority issues, whether purposely or not is beyond me," Shu said. "I am only glad that minority concerns are not completely suppressed, God almighty." But most SPEC members said they were pleased that the resolution was accepted and expect that the minority committee will cooperate effectively with the existing SPEC committees. Spring Fling Tri-Chairperson Robert Cohen said last night that the SPEC vote "was a good compromise" and indicates that SPEC members are willing to plan events which will appeal to minorities. UMC Chairperson Nalini Samuel, who sponsored the measures approved last night, said the measure provides a check on SPEC. "I think that it is a positive step so that we don't have all white, male-dominated social events but ones that can reach the whole University," Samuel said.

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