About 75 people gathered at Iowa City-based University of Iowa College of Dentistry Jan. 29 to call for more action on diversity and equity, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
It was organized by the Action UIowa Task Force, a group of students from the College of Dentistry. The group said the college's culture doesn't adequately address diversity and equity, pointing to a lack of training, a lack of recognition of cultural competency, and failure to recognize and emphasize racial health disparities in dentistry.
Of the 82 students in the college's fall class of 2020, five were Black, six were Hispanic and one was Native American, reports the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
Some of the group's demands include an anonymous electronic reporting system for complaints, revised professionalism guidelines, and requiring diversity, equity and inclusion training.
A spokesperson for the university told the Iowa City Press-Citizen said that the university aims to improve the campus climate and that sustained communitywide efforts are critical. The spokesperson said the college's Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will support colleges through strategic planning and addressing the climate.
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