Seema Kapani, UW-Madison campus diversity education coordinator, addressed students Tuesday evening about her goals and aspirations concerning diversity at the university if she was named the next vice provost for diversity and climate.
Kapani, who works in the UW-Madison Office for Equity and Diversity, is the second of three finalists to speak to students for the vice provost position.
The position would include working with other university officials to continue to foster diversity on the campus and create a positive learning environment.
She said she comes from a refugee family in India and had nothing growing up, so she owes it to herself to get involved in diversity issues on campus.
I will not give in to despair,"" she said.
While Kapani said she thinks Madison is a rewarding and gorgeous place because it is the antithesis of her roots, she said it is also painful because she feels very alone. She said many students of color feel exactly the same way on this campus, yet nobody knows it.
Although UW-Madison is known for its diversity, Kapani said she wants to eliminate feelings of isolation minority students might face in university settings.
Kapani used dorm environments as an example of a situation in which minority students may feel isolated. Residents may only acknowledge people they are familiar with, not necessarily people of a different race or ethnicity, which, according to Kapani, shows how students are not familiar with people of different cultures.
Kapani added that real steps need to be taken on campus and that changes occur whether or not students are involved, but students are a powerful force.
She said if these necessary steps are not taken to change minority students' feelings of isolation, then students might leave.
""Without the students, there is no university.""
She said connections with students keep her focused and she would connect with student organization leaders on a regular basis if she were named vice provost.
