Honor Committee works to diversify its participants

Members of the Honor Committee's Diversity Advisory Board say they are working hard to change the face of the honor system.

After their first meeting of the academic year, DAB members are rallying to bring minority student representation and the Committee together through increased outreach.

"Our goal is to improve the experience of minority students with the Honor Committee," DAB Chairman Saket Narula said. "The face of the Honor Committee is thought of as white, and we want to scratch that out."

The Committee formed the DAB two years ago, after the honor system review commission recommended that the Committee address the issue of racial bias.

Since Narula was elected DAB chair in April, he has focused the efforts of the board on building working relationships between minority student organizations and honor.

"We want to reach out to minority students with other minority students," Narula said. "We want to show that not just whites are enthusiastic about honor."

The DAB is comprised of students, faculty and alumni who form a core group focused on advising and monitoring the Committee. They host a forum open to all community members interested in offering suggestions.

Narula has solicited the aid and advice of many student leaders, including heads of minority student organizations.

"We want to get more active recruitment from minority organizations," said Maha Abejuela, president of the Asian Student Union and member of the DAB. "We would also like to get suggestions from various ethnic and cultural organizations on who should get involved with the Honor Committee."

At their first meeting of the school year on Friday, DAB members discussed many of their primary goals.

Narula explained that their current efforts are focused on revising the honor advisor selection process to consider diversity more, as well as co-sponsoring events to bring honor counselors and minority groups together.

"I think the DAB has done an excellent job of addressing important issues," Committee Chairman Christopher Smith said. "Much has been accomplished and there is much more to do."

The DAB is currently in the process of recruiting advisors and building its pool of resources. Narula was enthusiastic that his organization would be "very strong within a month."

Diversity awareness has been a long-term interest of the Committee. Those involved have stressed the need for efforts by both the Committee and the minority community to make changes.

"Right now a lot of minority students probably have a bad perception of honor, that it is a white, male organization," Abejuela said. "But over the last few years there has been a much more active effort to get more participation. It's an issue for both sides -- while honor needs to recruit, it's the minority students who need to get involved."

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