University of Minnesota board of regents vice chair Steve Sviggum believes if you want to find answers, questions should be raised from all angels.
This comes after Sviggum raised more than a few eyebrows when he asked if the increased diversity at the U's campus in Morris is contributing to the school's declining enrollment.
"I don't see asking a question is being offensive or wrong, it certainly, certainly not racist," Sviggum told Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News.
The topic of the regents' Mission Fullfillment Committee meeting turned to declining enrollment, with Sviggum posing the question to Minnesota Morris interim chancellor Janet Schrunk Eriksen.
Sviggum based his question on two letters he received from friends whose children decided against attending Minnesota Morris because the increased diversity made them uncomfortable.
"I think you should just deal with the issue, deal with the facts," said Sviggum, who quoted figures that shows more diversity on the Minnesota-Morris campus in the past decade, with enrollment declining during the same period.
"I did not make a position stand on the diversity issue, I just simply asked the question," he said. "We should not be above asking questions. I'm sure there are lots of reasons (for declining enrollment)."
WCCO radio host Henry Lake, who appeared on the air later Monday morning, was not happy with Sviggum.
"He needs to resign," Lake said. "How he can dare insult all of us, our intelligence, with the comments that he's been making, and then he doubled down on our airwaves. He knew he was going to be on your show, and he didn't have anything better than that? I'm sorry."
During the Oct. 13 meeting, Eriksen responded directly to Sviggum when he asked if diversity and enrollment declines might be linked.
"I had a meeting with students who are members of the Black Student Union on our campus," she said. "I think that they would be shocked that anyone would think our campus was too diverse."
According to data resources on the Minnesota-Morris website, the student makeup a year ago was 56.3% white, 29.0% Native American, 3.3% Black, 2.3% Asian, and 0.2% Hawaiian.
The enrollment at Minnesota-Morris in the fall of 2021 was 1,286.