Editor’s Note: In the original version, it was stated that the University of Wisconsin received $800 million in research funding from the state. This is incorrect, and has been adjusted appropriately.
The University of Wisconsin has a lot to be proud of – but there is one dark spot. Even as one of the nation’s top schools, with one of the best athletic departments in the Big Ten and nationally recognized professors, diversity issues on campus remain the elephant in the room that no one seems to want to focus on.
Unfortunately, these diversity issues have only been vaguely addressed by the university’s administration and the lack of diversity on campus continues down the road of normalization. This has the potential to not only be detrimental for individual students but the school as a whole – especially considering how the lack diversity affects different fields of study, specifically in research.
Research opportunities play a major role in the budding career of undergraduates and graduates in any department, especially science majors and those on the pre-med track. Therefore, it is extremely important to consider which racial groups have the opportunity to benefit from the positive effects research can have on a later career. Aside from a near perfect MCAT scores and a stunning GPA, the two main components of any medical school hopeful are hospital volunteerism and research experience. Where the two differ is that while anyone can volunteer at a hospital, not everyone can participate in research. Opportunities are limited and the competition is fierce. Proponents of this system are quick to argue that this competition encourages students to excel and therefore increases quality of the lab and its outcomes. What they forget is that it isn’t legitimate competition if we are all not on an equal playing field and that competitiveness should not the sole goal of research labs.
I worked at a urology lab at New York University this past summer. Gaining acceptance into an elite research lab requires a great GPA, prior experience and, if you’re lucky enough to get it, a great recommendation from someone who is close to the lab director. Of course the requirements listed prior aren’t the only ones and, in my experience applying to and working in research, become just as arbitrary as you jump from lab to lab. The methods for obtaining these “qualifications” are hardly ubiquitous and hold no merit in identifying a great researcher. The expected qualifications unintentionally cater to a privileged socioeconomic group. Due to exclusionary tactics of the past, minority students simply do not have same opportunities as their white counterparts. Labs must be conscious of the opportunity gap when evaluating applicants.
The lack of diversity is detrimental to more than just marginalized students. It can have an effect on research itself. By having a varying degree of researchers from different backgrounds we can insure a constant stream of fresh ideas that are aiding the scientific method and overall dialogue. Other universities understand this. Recently University of California, Berkeley National Laboratory announced plans to help diversify one of its major labs. A spokesperson Julie Chao said, “When you have more diverse teams, it makes for better outcomes in science and in other areas.” That is why it is of utmost importance that state funded research labs should be actively seeking out diversity using methods such as affirmative action.
Affirmative action techniques don’t get the credit they deserve. Thanks to affirmative action initiatives started in the 1960s, the number of women officials and managers have experienced a 20 percent increase in just 20 years, and by the year 1990 black enrollment in colleges around the country had begun to represent the actual black population. If these equity techniques had such an astounding effect for minorities in the professional realm, one could only expect the same results in research. Since state money is being used on research, the state should ensure that all constituents it represents are allowed equal opportunity.
UW is the third largest research institution in the country. Despite this, the diversity of its student body, the same students who are participating in research, leaves much to be desired. A complacent approach to diversity on the state and academic levels has done a disservice to students. Only concentrated action can deviate us from this state of perpetual ineptitude.
I have yet to hear news from any UW labs about the potential for any diversity programs. After searching for statistics on the state of diversity in UW research labs, I could not find anything. Perhaps the lack of this statistic speaks for the state of diversity.
Daniel Roque ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in neurobiology and political science.
