Campus Newspaper Confab

Mount Holyoke College's webpage features a "commentary" section that maintains articles written by staff and students that were published elsewhere. Of course, when we saw "Campus Diversity: Moving from Appreciation to Active Engagement," we were intrigued and just had to investigate. This article is written by Dean of Students Liz Braun. Amazingly, we were actually satisfied with Dean Braun's précis, as she did not make use of much of the typical "edu-speak" to which we're well accustomed. However, there were some morsels of babble with which we took issue. For instance,

Another challenge is that while students may voice an appreciation of diversity, many tend to view "diversity" as something separate from themselves or "other," particularly if they identify strongly with the majority population.

For example, I often hear white students talk about race as something that only applies to students of color. In order to be constructive participants in a diverse community students should understand that they each have a racial identity and how that identity affects one's place in society.

This is the paradigm with which universities infect society at large -- the notion that people are members of groups. They are not individuals. The US Constitution does not recognize group rights (although there certainly are some high court decisions that have granted such), it guarantees individual rights.

And so what if people who "identify strongly with the majority population" prefer to give short thrift to the notion of "diversity." After all, since they so identify, this leads one to believe that these students will primarily associate with this group in the future. And, here's an enigma which causes a certain amount of head-scratching: Why isn't "diversity" of such import at what are dubbed "Historically Black Colleges"? Why is there no clamoring for more racial heterogeneity at these august institutions? After all, "diversity" logic would dictate that a greater degree of multiformity here would better prepare minority students for the "real" world where they will have to engage much more with the majority population.

Further, Braun is speaking in code when she writes that second paragraph. What she is actually saying is the following: White people have to realize that their color gives them "privileges" that do not exist for people of color. It is not enough to be "passive," white students! White students must DO something to rectify this oppressive state of affairs. That is what being a "constructive participant" is all about. Don't be fooled into thinking Braun really wants white students to "understand that they each have a racial identity," because that may lead to something completely anathema to "diversophiles" -- white racial pride. Racial pride is something that only non-majority students are morally entitled to possess. Diversophiles want white students to be aware of their "lack of hue" only insofar as they acknowledge the myriad injustices that their achromatic brethren (past and present) have inflicted on those with more melanin in their epidermis.

Please do not misunderstand us. We don't advocate any sort of racial "pride." We believe people should be judged as individuals, not by their perceived membership in various pigmentation societies.