Chancellor James Oblinger has chosen to extend the review process of the Campus Culture Task Force committee’s preliminary report by two weeks in an effort to garner more opinions on the groups recommendations to the University. The report addresses the future of policies and practices concerning Brickyard and Free Expression Tunnel use, among other issues.

Oblinger said he approved the extension to allow more students the opportunity to reflect and respond to the proposed recommendations.

“It’s important that we give the campus opportunity to review the task force’s recommendations,” Oblinger said. “Giving everyone ample time to comment gives us the best chance of moving forward together.”

The deadline, originally Feb. 2, is now set for Feb. 16. The Task Force will reconvene after the comment period and make formal recommendations to the Chancellor. A formal report is scheduled to be issued Feb. 27.

The Task Force was created in the aftermath of the events of Nov. 5, 2008 when four students wrote derogatory and threatening messages in the Free Expression Tunnel in response to the results of the election.

Richard Pridgen, a junior in paper science and engineering, was content with the Chancellor’s extension, though he agreed some students may be concerned that the Task Force is dragging its feet.

“[The Free Expression Incident was] a sensitive issue that should be addressed quickly,” Pridgen said. “But  if students don’t agree with the recommendations, then the diversity awareness programs won’t be respected and won’t serve their purpose.”

Tiffany Key, a senior in history and agriculture education, agreed, citing the proposal of creating a mandatory Free Expression Tunnel seminar as part of new student orientation as one of her reasons to continue discussion on the preliminary draft of recommendations.

“I think it is a good idea to get more student input before it is made a mandatory part of the curriculum,” Key said .”While the class may be a good idea, it is a big decision that needs to be fully thought through.”

Pridgen said he liked many of the recommendations, but also expressed concern over the proposed diversity discourse training.

“I feel that mandatory diversity/civil discourse training will be ineffective,” Pridgen said. “Most students would just be annoyed that they have to complete yet another online course or seminar that most would deem as pointless as Alcohol EDU.”

Students are encouraged to comment on the proposals listed in the draft, which is available online and can be accessed through the University’s homepage.