The University Council Monday completed its first phase in combating racial discrimination at NIU by selecting 18 task force members to investigate injustice and violence against minority groups.

The task force was formed as part of a resolution against discrimination at NIU at the December UC meeting. The resolution called for the condemnation of discrimination and for action against minority injustice by NIU President John LaTourette, the Board of Regents and the UC Executive Secretary Jim Giles.

The task force includes 17 faculty members and students chosen by Giles to represent the different minority groups. Giles will be acting as an exofficio member and will let the task force choose its own chair at the first meeting to be held Jan. 30.

“Given that I’m a white, heterosexual male, I didn’t think that it would have been appropriate to serve as chair of the task force,” Giles said.

Minority groups represented by the task force include black, Hispanic and international students, as well as handicapped, gay and lesbian students.

Judith Bischoff, associate professor of physical education, was asked to be on the task force because she is also a member of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women.

“Our charge, I guess, is to look at the status of discrimination on campus,” said Bischoff. “I think it’s important to find out if there is any discrimination on campus.”

Margaret Zimmerman, a member of the Student Leadership Committee for Handicapped Students, will represent handicapped students on the task force.

“We’re out to do away with any injustice at NIU,” Zimmerman said. She said she was asked by Giles to serve on the task force because “there are some parts of this college that aren’t being treated fairly. Blacks aren’t the only ones being discriminated against here.”

Other groups represented include the College of Law, the Student Association, and the Center for Special Projects and Services.

Giles said, “I think what we’ll have to do is really investigative—not to look into (the controversial student publication) Stump, but to look into injustice and violence among the campus community. We will have to see to what degree it does exist and if it does exist in someway, somewhere, we’ll have to make some decisions on how to deal with it.”

Two faculty members turned down the offer to serve on the task force due to conflicts in scheduling and one faculty member declined because of political plans, Giles said. No one refused as a result of being personally against the idea of the task force, he said.