I feel that Sam Clegg's opinion column ("Don't bother with diversity positions," Dec. 5) necessitated a response representing the student body that does care deeply about diversity and racial equality at the University of Wisconsin and in America. First, Mr. Clegg's claim that the Office of Diversity and Climate be "put to rest once and for all" is ignorant of the barriers preventing racial equality from occurring. The Office of Diversity and Climate is an attempt at fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for its student body. When the challenge of maintaining diversity is retention of students of color, a substantial effort to make sure that all students feel comfortable in this school's environment is absolutely fundamental.
The allegation that the vice provost for diversity and climate's role is "to create an environment in which the only differences between us that matter are skin deep" is entirely ignorant of the program's intent. In fact, the office's goal is to remedy our society in which skin matters enormously to one's job opportunity, housing options, level of education and likelihood of spending time in jail. To ignore that race matters in American society is to severely inhibit the ability to overcome vast inequality and barriers to reaching a democratic society. Therefore, I think the "morality" of this position is clear.
Furthermore, affirmative action can have a negative short-term effect on white students. However, this is a small price our generation must pay for the shortcomings of previous generations in which people of color suffered mandated racism on behalf of the federal, state and local governments. Not only that, but racism, overt and institutionalized, continues its legacy today. I cannot think of any other plausible answer to this problem other than programs dedicated to equaling the playing field for those who clearly start out much lower than whites on the sole basis of their skin color.
Moreover, racial lines are not "imaginary" and the school is attempting to address this issue with honesty and integrity. Maybe someday you will meet someone who is more different from you than "a white, libertarian male with similar religious beliefs" and have the opportunity to experience a different reality of life in America.
Abbey Kornhauser
UW sophomore, political science
