OPINION & EDITORIAL
Don’t bother filling diversity positions
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Also by Sam Clegg:
- AIDS class reveals societal problems (November 7, 2007)
- Lecturer's views no match for knee-jerk antagonists (October 24, 2007)
- Dr. Paul: Report to America, stat (October 10, 2007)
- Socialists equally boring, neutered (September 26, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Diversity isn't just color (September 7, 2001)
- Campus newspapers continue to pollute campus with racism (September 6, 2001)
- Make room at the top (October 17, 2002)
- Diversity deserves attention at UW (December 7, 2007)
- Trimming the fat (January 30, 2006)
by Sam Clegg
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
As a white male Christian, the first thing I do every morning is remind myself of the evils people of my color, gender and creed have barbarously inflicted on millions of individuals who are different from them.
The next thought comes a few moments later. I wake up from dreamland, realize I live in a world where people are responsible for their actions as individuals, not as groups, and go on with my day free of guilt.
So when a position such as the University of Wisconsin's vice provost for diversity and climate becomes empty, as it just did, I have an answer to said emptiness: Don't fill it up. Let the Office of Diversity and Climate, along with a concept of diversity itself, which delights in collectivism, be put to rest once and for all. Start spending money on, just as a thought, education of the purposeful variety instead.
But of course, the university won't do that. Instead the final candidates for the job have been invited to Madison to tell faculty and students why they are the best qualified to waste the university's money. One of those finalists was Dr. Damon Williams, who visited campus last week.
Mr. Williams stressed in a meeting with students that accountability is the key, for if affirmative action were to have some form of immunity from criticism, a likely vaccine would be efficiency. On the surface this is an agreeable proposition, and Mr. Williams, who has served at both the University of Connecticut and the University of Michigan in related fields, seems ideally qualified to carry it out. However, the fact that this vice provost is accountable to an ideological system that inherently sets different ethnicities in opposition to one another brings into question not only the necessity, but the morality of the position's existence. By entrenching a narrow interpretation of diversity, university administrators, such as Mr. Williams and his competitors for the position, spend millions of dollars to create an environment in which the only differences between us that matter are skin deep.
Personally, I have more differences with my roommate — who also happens to be a white, libertarian male with similar religious beliefs as mine — than with anyone else I have met at this university. These differences are due to the fact that diversity is brought into being simply by virtue of thought. If a person can think and act differently from his peers, he is diverse, insofar as he can form himself into something distinct from the person next to him.
Whiteness, blackness and everything in between are merely side notes.
What the Office of Diversity and Climate, as well as Mr. Williams, is getting wrong is that the question is not who should apologize or "fix" the state of a society recovering from a time in which racism was federally mandated, but how every American can ensure that it does not happen again. You cannot expect euphoric compliance from a white high schooler applying to college when you tell him, "Sorry, but your position at a university, a position that your grades qualify you for, has been filled in the interests of compensating for the
underrepresentation of minorities."
Perhaps the Office of Diversity and Climate and the questions it raises wouldn't be so problematic if they did not waste so much money. Often times the immorality of an idea only assumes a more tangibly threatening nature when we realize that we are financing it. Plan 2008, the flagship program of Diversity and Climate that is scheduled to end next year, foresaw an estimated budget of more than $11.7 million over a decade. Students are seeing money that would otherwise be going to reduce rising tuition rates instead be diverted to yet another offering on the altar of the David Duke of diversity, Al Sharpton.
I may be the only one who thinks my color is the least significant part of my identity, but it does seem to factor unnecessarily into our admissions process and the distributions of our finances. I was therefore greatly pleased to read Ryan Masse's column ("A downside to diversity, an upside to change," Nov. 16) in which he asserted that emphasizing our differences in the interest of multiculturalism does us little good. The next step is to put that sentiment into action by eliminating the programs and the offices that are an extension of the ludicrous idea that color is really the only factor of value besides grades in determining an individual's worth to an institution. This is the only morally and fiscally responsible choice.
And yet the type of administrator that Mr. Williams personifies is not someone who I would ever consider personally disliking. No, it is not Mr. Williams who needs to go, but the position he seeks and the idea it perpetuates. The office of vice provost for diversity and climate and the Creating Community Initiative are only tiny examples of the many unnecessary gears in an apparatus of inequity that is turning the imaginary lines between us into chasms.
Sam Clegg (sclegg@wisc.edu) is a freshman majoring in English.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 7:41am):
Sam,
Thank you. Let's spend the money on hiring faculty instead of creating more bureaucratic positions that just promote racism.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 8:24am):
Political correctness isn't about ending discrimination or inequality. (Name one person you know that doesn't promote discrimination when in their individual or ethnic interests.)
Not even the high priests of political correctness that inhabit academia are opposed to inequality or discrimination.
The same PC people during the race and culture wars of the 1960s who depicted whites as committing genocide against the Indians with their mass immigration -- are the same people who name America in honor of the invaders: America is a "nation of immigrants." These same PC people then promoted an even greater mass invasion of America with the 1965 immigration act.
If the politically correct were something other than hypocrites, they would have named America, "The land stolen from the Indians," and would have ended all non-Indian immigration and begun a process of returning parts, or all, of America to the Indians, as fully sovereign Indian nations.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 8:34am):
Wow, wow, wow. As a white, Christian female, I find this article to exude ignorance. I see that you are a freshman and you have yet to learn your role, as a white, male, Christian, as an oppressor. It's not about the color of the skin. It's about a system of oppression ingrained in our society that gives the world to you and creates incredible barriers for people who do not fit your description. You do not consider your color a significant part of your identity because it has not caused you any problems. If you were black, Latino, Asian, your color would be a significant part of your identity, because it plays such a large role when you are a member of an oppressed race.
Hopefully you will learn throughout your time here at UW your incredible privilege as a white, Christian, male and how easy you have it.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 8:51am):
Yet another watery stool of wisdom tumbles from the ever gaping pie hole of Sam Clegg. His mouth seems to hide behind it a boundless cornucopia of banality and intellectual sclerosis.
Note to Mr. Clegg: When the police go around shooting unarmed Black men, your race is more than a "side note."
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 10:24am):
FYI, the affirmative action that affects gender is meant for GUYS, not girls (girls get better grades in high school).
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 10:47am):
Sam, I don't know about you, but 1) I don't get myself tied up in knots just because I'm white and 2) I refuse to let anybody try to make me feel guilty about it either.
Go out and get blitzed this weekend and you'll feel a whole lot better.
Cheers!
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 11:36am):
"Office of Diversity and Climate" Now there's one position that'll never be filled by a white male! Who's the victim of discrimination now, huh?!
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 11:45am):
Mr. Clegg,
As much as it may make your blood boil, Universities nationwide are evaluated on the diversity of their student bodies, particularly because of how it affects the "majority" of their students. Large companies and corporations think less of students who are unprepared to deal with people from different cultures and backgrounds, and are thus unlikely to hire them for their most prestigious jobs in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago.
Maybe you're willing to stick with you ideology until the end, but most students care much more about their employment prospects than their political beliefs. Anything that can be done to make UW more highly regarded and attractive to employers is perfectly fine with them. If the marketplace of employers wants diversity, why should the university refuse to give it to them, especially if its students have to pay the price through a reduced choice in careers?
The people who run this university care about the bottom line; the Big Ten Network is proof of that. As long as "diversity" helps to improve that, it's not going away. Cling to your ideals and notions if they make you feel wiser than your freshman peers, but the rest of us with a foot in reality would rather cling to our paychecks.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 11:48am):
This is such a poor article that before I read it, I agreed with you, but after I finished, I realized how wrong I was.
I did and still do think that Mr. Masse brought up some good points that deserve more discussion. You can't force different people to respect each other--it has to come from within. Diversity should not be sought after as a goal in itself, but rather in so far as it improves the overall educational experience and helps those of a minority and/or less wealthy background to feel more welcomed.
However, the utter snideness and contempt in your article has now convinced me just how necessary these positions are. I mean seriously--if your roommate who has similar political and religious beliefs, probably a similar socioeconomic status and the same skin color as you is somehow the most different person you have ever met, then that says more about the low number of people you have met thus far than it does about anything else.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 12:10pm):
If Barack Obama becomes president, everything's even, right?
That'll be a great day when we don't have to be boxed into our race, but live just as fellow Americans.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 12:34pm):
Seeing as you're a freshman, you have a lot to learn about the real world. Maybe because of your ignorace of others you are not able to process what's really going on. Get your facts straight before you speak.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 1:11pm):
Well done Sam.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 2:52pm):
I do see what you are saying and it makes sense because we should definately not NEED a role such as the one you are arguing against. Although I don't know exactly what duties the position entails but the fact that oppression exists and that everyone, especially minorities (which can most often include women), is not given the same opportunities as the "master status," something more is necessary to make up for that. As long as the ultimate goal is the breaking of the barriers that lessen opportunities, or at least attempt to make up for them, I see the position as a worthy one.
But in the end, something much much bigger needs to be done that reaches out to the reasons that unequal opportunities exist to begin with.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 4:25pm):
The inherent problem is that the UW system wants to LOOK like they're combating structural inequality, while perpetuating the lack of diversity. Why else would they fail at Plan 2008 (2008 is in 26 days...) while jacking up tuition every chance they get?
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 4:29pm):
grow up youngin- and open your eyes.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 4:36pm):
I think it would be great if people could get along as individuals. There are some philosophical problems with getting there though. First, to claim that one is colorblind is to actually recognize that there is a problem with inequality. Otherwise, the term would be meaningless. In terms of admissions, there are some people who cannot hide their race/ethnicity. Are admissions officers to ignore names? My last name is "Wong." How do you ignore that?
Also, whether you like it or not, whether you approved of it or not, you are undoubtedly a beneficiary of what white, Christian males have done in the past. Through a lack of action, you are silently supporting the system of inequalities. In this case, you seem to be supporting that system in writing. So you, as an individual responsible for your own actions, are advocating for the continuation of the massive inequalities out there. I certainly know for a fact that you do not speak for your entire group. People of color would be screwed till the sun blinks out.
You may think that your whiteness defines little of who you are. In US society, however, I've found that there is little room for an individual to define him or herself, as it is other people who are coming up with definitions. Look at the responses to this column, for example. Many have labeled you in their heads as an ignorant white freshman. It doesn't really matter to them who you claim to be in that moment. No, it's not fair. You also may claim to not care what others think. Total lie; otherwise, why would you be writing opinion pieces in a major campus newspaper? I don't claim to have the solutions, not by a longshot. But ignoring the problem, I can guarantee, is the worst one out there.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 5:46pm):
I see age discrimination, out-right color discrimination (White Christian female: Whose Your Daddy?, and inaccuracy (women are not in the minority at colleges in the US), in the above comments. I thought Wisconsin was more open-minded and eager to discuss issues. Is there another option to filling this position?
Michael Johnson (December 5, 2007 @ 6:27pm):
O Sam, your Nassian/Hahnian logic is embarassing. Three federal Cases, Regents v. Bakke, Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger have proven that affirmative action is legal but quota systems are not.The Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that economic status has to been taken into account in diversity programs, like Plan 2008's flagship program, PEOPLE, and ALL UW systems diversity programs, which all have seen increase in poor white students in those programs.Furthermore, If you or Mike Hahn make one more incorrect argument about all these minorities getting into UW at the expense of white students, which looking at the demographics(less than 10 percent minorities with the majority being the model minority, Asians, and even that is skewed, because most of them are not Asian-American) I think ill go crazy. Obvious to anyone here is that minorities are underrepresented here and likely will be for a long time, thus Plan 2008's failure. Just look at what happened in California after Prop 209 passed, UC Berkeley African-American population went from 17 percent to 2 in 15 yr period. Oddly enough 2 percent is about the total amount of African-American students at UW, which has Affirmative Action.Most importantly, this whole black guy who makes my tuition higher bull is just plain dumb. PEOPLE's funding comes from private donations from such companies as AT&T, Kimberly Clark and WE Energies, just to name a few, as do most diversity programs in the UW system. Furthermore, 11 million dollars would pay for about 1000 students to go here for a yr, A WHOLE YEAR!!!Keep in mind that UW has made 20 million dollars from being a member of the BCS in the last 10 years, and that it has a endowment worth 1.5 billion dollars, with an annual growth rate of 2 percent. If UW spent said 2 percent every year, tuition would be lowered.Then of course, the state's support of the UW system has went from 70 percent to 50. That usually makes the cost of education increase.So maybe vote for people who will fund education, instead of building prison(Since 3rd grade reading scores are used to predict how many prisons will need to be built in for the next 10 to 20 yrs)Finally a reference to Ryan Masse's article? You do realize some people don't even talk to their roommates just because of the clothes they wear?You sound like the type of person who thinks the Dixiecrats were right and Earl Warren was wrong. Based on your logic, we should never get involved in conflicts based on genocide, because you cant make people compromise on anything, so Sudan and Palestine are out the window then.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 7:55pm):
Sam, you're in my prayers man. God loves you even when you cannot love others who are different from yourself. I only hope that you will wake up to what it really means to be a Christian. Right now you're embarassing a lot of people when you call yourself a Christian but judge people like youre the blind faithless doubter. Let the diversity of God's creation blow your mind. I dare you.
Shawn Snyder (December 5, 2007 @ 8:28pm):
Thank you, at least SOMEONE at this university gets it. Good article.
It's laughable that people even consider there being walls and barriers that holds anyone back in America today.
To this-"Note to Mr. Clegg: When the police go around shooting unarmed Black men, your race is more than a "side note." - HAHAHAHA
"Seeing as you're a freshman, you have a lot to learn about the real world. Maybe because of your ignorace of others you are not able to process what's really going on." - wow, now you're discriminating based on age. hypocrate.
For those that say there is no proof that white students don't get sacrificed for a minority: I am proof they do. I missed out on a scholarship to my (asian)friend and we were both confused becuase we knew I was more qualified. You want more details, I'll give them to ya, but don't say it doesn't happen or you're just as ignorant as you call everyone else.
""Office of Diversity and Climate" Now there's one position that'll never be filled by a white male! Who's the victim of discrimination now, huh?!" - haha, true.
Shawn Snyder (December 5, 2007 @ 8:29pm):
"God loves you even when you cannot love others who are different from yourself."
he never said he hates or doesn't love anyone. read.
Shawn Snyder (December 5, 2007 @ 8:32pm):
"Then of course, the state's support of the UW system has went from 70 percent to 50"
get your freakin facts straight and don't misrepresent them! state funding has increased around 300-400million dollars over the last 10 years.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 10:06pm):
Thank you Sam, for bringing reality to the table.
Enlightening.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 10:15pm):
"get your freakin facts straight and don't misrepresent them! state funding has increased around 300-400million dollars over the last 10 years."
You're going to criticize someone for getting their facts wrong, which they didn't, with a "fact" you aren't even sure about? I bet you're pulling down a 4.0, Shawn Snyder.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 10:39pm):
Shawn you are the one that needs to get his facts straight..African American, Latinos and Asian Americans are doesn't not even make up 20 percent of this campus...let of "Oh he is black and got in crap!" I am so sick it...you lost out because you weren't as good....skin color doesn't have anything to do with it. They don't let people into the schools just because of their race...their is a hell of alot more to it than that. This article is dumb as is the author needs to get to know persons of color first before he write....Thanks Again Badger Hearld for publishing crap!
Shawn Snyder (December 5, 2007 @ 10:54pm):
10:39pm, I'll let you figure out your own grammical mistakes. Hopefully you have an English class left to take.
Shawn Snyder (December 5, 2007 @ 11:04pm):
Yes, I am going to cite that information, because I read the information from a graph printed in the Herald about a month ago before the budget passed. So no, I don't have the exact numbers, but the actual dollar amount given by the state has gone up dramatically every year and that's a fact you can find in the state budgets. The percentages you are refering to are either a)the total percentage of money the state gave compared to the UW's total income, or b) the total percentage of the state budget that is given to the UW. Both the state and UW budget have increased appreciably every year, so percentages can't tell the real story. The amount given to the UW has increased every year, and much more than to just reflect inflation mind you. I won't give you a direct link because you should be able to easily find that I'm telling the truth with a few clicks on the official State of Wisconsin Legislature website. If you are so adament that I'm lying, go look for yourself.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 11:14pm):
excellent article. i'd say the best one of the week.
Michael Johnson (December 5, 2007 @ 11:18pm):
Shawn, Even chief UW hater Rep Nass of whitewater, as well as Madison's Isthmus and Milwaukee's Shepherd Express ran articles pointing to the decrease of state support for UW, so my facts are not only straight they are backed up research and more importantly, someone who has direct say over the application of funds.As I always say to conservative talking points, try again...
Stephen Collins (December 6, 2007 @ 3:00am):
I agree that "people are responsible for their actions as individuals, not as groups."
Society as a whole, however, does have a responsibility to its oppressed and disadvantaged minorities.
While I do not agree with UW-Madison's approach to enriching the little diversity we have (see Ryan Masse's column), I do believe diversity (the narrow, race-based defition) is essential.
Most white people, including myself, do not understand the true meaning of ethnicity. Our "ethnicity," be it Irish or Italian, is in almost all cases merely symbolic. Thus, we do not understand, and moreover underestimate, the problems that people of color, people who whose ethnicity carries a real meaning, have to deal with.
You may deem your ethnicity and race insignificant parts of your identity. However, I assure you that for the minorities whose ethnicities are not purely symbolic, their skin color is much, much less than a "side note."
So when it comes to society's duty to aid its minorities who are failing to close the socioeconomic gap between the majority (I'm thinking of black people, in particular, who despite ), personal responsibility is irrelevant. Affirmative Action is not perfect; but if some of the majority need to take a small hit for the sake of promoting equality amongst all groups - so be it.
The lines between us are not imaginary. And turning these lines into "chasms," as you suggest the University is doing, is clearly the wrong way to address them. Pretending they don't exist, though, is far worse.
Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 5:33pm):
the most enticingly provocative article on affirmative action i've read yet. well done clegg.
Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 6:48pm):
People who work the hardest and get the best grades are the ones who should be getting the job. Period
Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 8:14pm):
I think a lot of you are missing the point. Sam supports diversity. Sam just doesn't like the person who decides that diversity is based on color alone. Sam is also saying he should not pay for his father's debt.
Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 11:31pm):
Sam-
Fabulous article. I couldn't agree with you more....I was extremely impressed. GOOD WORK!
Anonymous (December 7, 2007 @ 12:35am):
It's easy in a position of power as white people to consider ourselves as separate from the institutional power structure that denies opportunities to people of color. It makes our lives a lot more comfortable to remain blinded by our privilege than to actually admit how we are participating in a history of oppression. Diversity is more than just an office on campus--it is a conversation that more white people need to have together in order to understand our privilege and what we can do to work against it. I encourage everyone reading this article to spend a little time reflecting on what their life experience with diversity has been, and then look at the campus around them. There's a lot of work to be done, obviously. I just hope that people will eventually be willing to engage in self-reflection to realize the ways in which they have benefited from privilege.
Anonymous (December 7, 2007 @ 7:07am):
Sam, I will pray for you. Take Soc 134 to open your mind. Frosh can get in and there are plenty of sections. I challenge you. I had a friend like you and he didn't get the race issue until his senior year. But at least he got it. There is still hope for you.
Anonymous (December 10, 2007 @ 1:18pm):
Shawn doesn't know what he is talking about at all neither does Sam. "Paying for his father's mistake?" How is he paying for anything? Diversity I feel doesn't mean saying "Lets bash the white guy" however, whites need to understand what they are apart of. As for spelling errors, this isn't a paper..just a response. I don't even think Shawn is a real name anyway!
Anonymous (December 10, 2007 @ 1:22pm):
Sam, I understand what you are terms of money and budgeting for the university. But if you think that its not a good idea to have such a position, then I hope that you see that you are one of many for whom color doesn't matter. In a perfect world, color of skin wouldn't matter and diversity would come from differing opinions. However for people of color on this campus, there is no choice but to be pointed out and stigmatized. People of color do not asking for hand outs or officials to help them, they are more likely asking exactly what you desire Sam-- a place where blackness or whiteness doesn't matter. Unfortunately, UW Madison hasn't reached that point yet.
Anonymous (December 10, 2007 @ 5:44pm):
To all of those who refuse to acknowledge that skin color is a big deal look up "white priviledge" and do a little self reflection...
Anonymous (December 11, 2007 @ 12:06am):
Luckily, i can fly : )
-Toast
Anonymous (December 11, 2007 @ 12:49am):
I think that a lot of you are missing the point of Sam's article that he wrote. This is an article based on one person's opinion, so the only thing that one can do in objection is to say that you disagree. There is no correct or incorrect in this instance, but only the issue of personal belief on the topic.
And to the comment about going "crazy" after reading articles I pose this questions to you; Why don't you try going out and writing for a newspaper if your opinions do not get voiced enough, or maybe the issue is that you are not able to accept the criticism that this article has brought upon this young journalist? I could go on, and on about some of these idiotic comments left on this wall posting, but I am just going to leave with one final point that I feel is very pressing.
None of you posting on this wall have any idea of the diversity that Sam has experienced in his life, and therefore are unable to make a statement about his writing being comparable to his age of being a freshman. As a matter of fact, what is the age of a freshman on campus? Who knows if Sam is 17, or 22, but I don't think that year in school can be a judge of one's background in diversity. For all we know Sam could have been born in a different country, or lived in different countries during his life, and could possibly have experienced plenty in his lifetime to write this article from his point of diversity.
In conclusion, Great article Sam. Keep on keeping on
Anonymous (December 11, 2007 @ 12:51am):
I think that a lot of you are missing the point of Sam's article that he wrote. This is an article based on one person's opinion, so the only thing that one can do in objection is to say that you disagree. There is no correct or incorrect in this instance, but only the issue of personal belief on the topic.
And to the comment about going "crazy" after reading articles I pose this questions to you; Why don't you try going out and writing for a newspaper if your opinions do not get voiced enough, or maybe the issue is that you are not able to accept the criticism that this article has brought upon this young journalist? I could go on, and on about some of these idiotic comments left on this wall posting, but I am just going to leave with one final point that I feel is very pressing.
None of you posting on this wall have any idea of the diversity that Sam has experienced in his life, and therefore are unable to make a statement about his writing being comparable to his age of being a freshman. As a matter of fact, what is the age of a freshman on campus? Who knows if Sam is 17, or 22, but I don't think that year in school can be a judge of one's background in diversity. For all we know Sam could have been born in a different country, or lived in different countries during his life, and could possibly have experienced plenty in his lifetime to write this article from his point of diversity.
In conclusion, Great article Sam
Anonymous (December 11, 2007 @ 6:48pm):
Sam I truly appreciate your comments. I always prefer to know where someone stands (right or wrong) than someone to cowardice to show it.
You clearly have the "privilege" of waking up from what you consider a "dreamland" while poor and working class people of color and women are forced to live in the daily nightmare created by systems of oppression that you benefit from whether you participate or not.
You have proven that ignorance is bliss. I just hope you truly wake up before becoming another Milwaukee Police Officer, Public School Teacher, or Journalist where your ignorance will do more harm to others than yourself.
Stephen (December 11, 2007 @ 10:32pm):
Are we supposed to feel sympathetic and reserve our criticisms just for the sake of not offending dear Sam? I pray for the forgiveness of thou holy journalist.
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