The American Association of University Professors, Kent State Chapter, is in the first stages of forming a committee to represent black faculty members.

The committee would be similar to the newly formed LGBT committee, AAUP President Cheryl Casper said. The LGBT committee deals with issues and concerns of gay and lesbian faculty.

Casper said the planning for the committee is in the “premature” stages, but she hopes to have the committee off the ground by the beginning of the spring semester. At this point, the committee is still looking for volunteers to become members.

“To form a good committee you need to have a critical mass of people involved,” she said. “We sent out a call and we have certainly received sufficient interest for there to be a critical mass.”

The members of the committee will be announced at a later date, Casper said.

Once the committee is in place, the members will decide what issues to deal with, Casper said.

“The question now is whether the committee will take on a more broad charge,” she said. “The focus may shift to encompass all faculty of color and deal with issues involving ethnicity as well as race.”

As faculty grows more diverse, there is a greater need for the AAUP to expand its mission, Casper said.

“Equal opportunity in the workplace has always been an important issue for the AAUP,” she said. “Now is a good time to begin to talk about those issues in a collaborative way.”

Contact academics reporter Amanda Garrett at [email protected].