Failed Effort to Prove Diversity
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George Leef, John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, September 30, 2008
{snip}
For years, there has been an academic industry devoted to justifying college “affirmative action”—the policy of giving preferences to some students over others based on group identification. Allegedly, that is necessary to achieve “diversity” on campus—a student body reflecting various racial and ethnic groups, particularly African-Americans and Hispanics. (People are different in far more ways than race and ethnicity, but to diversity proponents, only a few of those ways matter.)
{snip}
A paper published last March purports to find proof that diversity yields educational benefits. Authored by Steve Chatman, a researcher at the University of California, the paper “Does Diversity Matter in the Education Process?” has been extolled by Wake Forest professor Joseph Soares, who says (scroll down) that it is a “solid empirical study” demonstrating that diversity teaches students “to broaden their perspective and sensibilities.”
{snip}
The data that Chatman analyzes are questionnaires completed by a large number of students at the campuses in the University of California system. Students were asked:
How often have you gained a deeper understanding of other perspectives through conversations with fellow students because they differed from you in the following ways?Chatman says that the responses from students give “useful, if soft evidence of diversity benefits.” Unfortunately, this evidence can’t even be called soft. It’s nonexistent. Here’s why.* Their religious beliefs were very different than yours.
* Their political opinions were very different from yours.
* They were of a different nationality than your own.
* They were of a different race or ethnicity than your own.
* Their sexual orientation was different.
* First, self-reports are notoriously unreliable data. Many people are prone to saying what they think they ought to say on surveys. That is especially true here since, as Chatman admits, most of the students in the sample identify themselves as Democrats or learning toward the Democrats. {snip}
Also, for students who aren’t Democrats, answering that they had few or no “diversity experiences” leading to “deeper understanding” might give the impression that they aren’t sensitive individuals. That is something many people want to avoid, even on anonymous surveys.
* Second, note that the question is phrased in a way that leads to positive views about diversity. Diversity experiences are couched in language implying that they necessarily lead to “deeper understanding.” The only question is how often that happens. Lawyers would call that “leading the witness.” Logically, it’s possible that students might have diversity experiences that don’t matter at all, or even lead to antagonism, but they can’t report that.
* Third, exactly what counts as “deeper understanding”? {snip}
All that we can say for sure after looking at this data set is that a large number of UC students feel good about campus diversity. It tells us nothing at all about any changes in their behavior as a result of their “diversity experiences.” Diversity proponents make the assumption that it promotes “deeper understanding,” thus making society more harmonious, but these questionnaire responses offer no evidence of that. It’s quite possible that “diversity experiences” make no difference in real life.
{snip}
This study provides no evidence that diversity experiences in college have lasting, beneficial effects, but Chatman leaps to the conclusion that they do. He writes, “A stimulating environment of interchange among students that will help them succeed after college requires that the student body exhibit diversity in areas important to society. If students are to function effectively in a world with immigrant, political, religious, social class, and racial/ethnic differences, then the student body should include students with a variety of these characteristics.”
That’s a glaring non sequitur. The student responses Chatman analyzes do not tell us anything about the ability of graduates to “function effectively” in society. There isn’t an iota of evidence presented to show that students who have attended colleges with greater student body diversity are better at dealing with people than are students who graduated from colleges with little or no racial diversity. (Virtually every college has plenty of political, religious, and socio-economic diversity.) Chatman’s conclusion expresses the wish of diversity advocates, but his paper does nothing whatever to prove it.
He tries to shore up the paper’s weakness by pointing to statements by business executives that they favor admissions preferences for “underrepresented minorities.” In an amicus brief in Grutter v. Bollinger, General Motors asserted that it needs a work force “comprising people who have learned to work productively and creatively with individuals from a multitude of races and ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. . . .” Chatman attaches great significance to that statement, never considering the possibility that for General Motors (and other businesses), professing support for affirmative action is an inexpensive way of avoiding harassment from people like Jesse Jackson.
{snip}
To my knowledge, however, no evidence linking workplace effectiveness to the composition of the student body of an individual’s alma mater has ever been adduced. We shouldn’t hold our breath waiting for it, for the simple reason that workplace cooperation does not require deep cultural understanding among workers. Toleration suffices and most people have enough of that to get by. Highly diverse American workplaces functioned smoothly long before colleges started worrying about “diversity.”
Those who demand college “diversity” overlook the truth that every college campus is diverse. Human beings, even from the “same” group, are different in a hundreds of ways. {snip} The notion that Americans would have no “diversity experiences” if colleges didn’t employ racial preferences to ensure quotas of certain groups is absurd.
{snip} [It] is time for proponents of racial preferences to admit that this dispute is about politics rather than education.
(Posted on October 6, 2008)
Freshman Mariam Masoud: Exploring Life on Campus
Brooklyn College, October 6, 2008
Mariam Masoud has just started her first semester at Brooklyn College. Although she’s still undecided about her major, she is positive she made a sound decision in her choice of school.
“So far, it’s really nice,” she says. “What I love the most is the diversity here. And because the College offers a variety of different majors, I feel like it’s a good place to figure out what I want to do.”
While she has been on campus for only a few weeks, Mariam has already joined two Muslim student groups and says she’s looking forward to exploring other extracurricular activities that will help her compliment her classroom experiences.
One thing she says she didn’t expect from college life was the large amount of reading she has to do. “So far, I have at least three hours of reading every night,” she says. “This is going to be a lot of work.”
Born in New Jersey to parents who came to the United States from Jordan, Masoud says she received several scholarships to attend college, most notably the Peter F. Vallone Academic Scholarship, which is for students who graduated from New York City high schools with a B average or better. She attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and lives in Bergen Beach.
She enjoys reading—her favorite books include A Thousand Splendid Suns,
by Khaled Hosseini, and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series—, photography, and playing around with Photoshop. She may parlay the latter two hobbies into a career as a photographer or graphic designer, but she says she’s in no rush to map out her life.
“Right now, I’m just enjoying being here, learning about the College and making new friends,” she says.
Comments
It didn’t for me. I learned nothing positive from the various minority trolls I had to endure during four years of college. I remember one black guy, whom I barely knew, tried to move into my dorm room during spring break since I would be gone, for some reason or other.
Posted by at 5:49 PM on October 6
If there are no intrinsic differences between the races, how are racial quotas a source of “diversity”?
Posted by Paul Morphy at 6:05 PM on October 6
“Diversity”, is simply newspeak for quotas and handouts for dysfunctional groups. Enhancing the educational experience of mainstream Whites was never a goal. Social manipulation toward an egalitarianism that does not objectively exist is. Low IQ minorities don’t really have low IQs, they are under the influence of the ethereal “white privilege”. If there are not enough women in the engineering department it is because of paternalism and sexism. If sexual deviants have mental problems, blame the White man again, especially those uptight and repressed Christians.
The marxists have the hubris to believe they have the wisdom to order the whole world. Human relationships may be even more complex than purely economic ones, but that still won’t stop the sick minded (to use a William James category) religion of marxism.
Posted by Flamethrower at 6:11 PM on October 6
“…demonstrating that diversity teaches students “to broaden their perspective and sensibilities.”
What’s the line, a college education gives you the right attitude toward minorities and the means to live as far away from them as possible?
What people learn from being forced to be around people different from them is that they don’t want to be around them.
Why would I want to hang around people who don’t share my view of the world? Every conversation becomes a minefield. I can live without that which is why I deliberately avoid diversity. If it enters my space, I deal with it politely but I’m not going out of my way to find it or embrace it.
Posted by sbuffalonative at 7:34 PM on October 6
“So far, it’s really nice,” she says. “What I love the most is the diversity here. And because the College offers a variety of different majors, I feel like it’s a good place to figure out what I want to do.”
While she has been on campus for only a few weeks, Mariam has already joined two Muslim student groups
___________________________________________________________________
Does anyone else notice how minorities always sing the
praises of diversity, and continue to push for more. While
never actually partaking in any of it. But rather sticking amongst their own groups. And fighting for their own group interests ? This should be a hint to unaware Whites what
diversity is truly about.
Posted by Dr. Caligari at 7:37 PM on October 6
“Those who demand college ‘diversity’ overlook the truth that every college campus is diverse. Human beings, even from the ‘same’ group, are different in a hundreds of ways. {snip} The notion that Americans would have no ‘diversity experiences’ if colleges didn’t employ racial preferences to ensure quotas of certain groups is absurd.
{snip} [It] is time for proponents of racial preferences to admit that this dispute is about politics rather than education.”
Resounding accolades to Mr. Leef for pointing this out; along with more of the same, if even more robustly so, for his insightful observations regarding the expected deviant “research” methodology that “proves” the multicultural and multiracial constructs are of any real benefit to our country, through this so-called “study.”
As is so often pointed out here at AR: cultural, religious, and political diversity among whites is omnipresent. There are differences between: Germans, Englishmen, Italians, Russians, Americans, Australians, and so on; that are disgustingly ignored, by the “experts” in tolerance terrorism. We need not explore this too deeply; it only suffices to say, that when the day comes that whites who are Moonies or Scientologists (to say nothing of those who debate the superiority of Pepsi to Coke) are given the same “affirmative action” considerations the way blacks and Hispanic are, to increase their underrepresented numbers at universities and in workplaces, will these arguments be taken as even remotely as apolitical. The point of these programs is not (again, as most here already know) to increase perspective or understanding, but only to promote the marginalization (and ultimately, the genocide) of the white race.
That is why, unlike studies that describe market trends or psychological abnormalities, these outrages will only be able to “prove” nothing but opinions and other nebulous states of “being.”
While market trends and psychological abnormalities do exist and can be studied, diversity as a “strength” cannot because it does not!
As always, God help us all!!!
Posted by John PM at 9:12 PM on October 6
First of all, a graphics arts “degree” is a tech school diploma where you learn how to use photoshop and other such software. Second, she sounds more like my children at twelve than at eighteen.
My guess is that Brooklyn College is ranked very high.
Posted by Epublius at 11:31 PM on October 6
First of all, a graphics arts “degree” is a tech school diploma where you learn how to use photoshop and other such software. Second, she sounds more like my children at twelve than at eighteen.
My guess is that Brooklyn College is ranked very high.
Posted by Epublius at 11:32 PM on October 6
Predictably, this study proves nothing. They simply take an absurdly broad interpretation of “education” and apply that to the greater collegiate experience, with an eye toward their already foregone conclusions about the glories of “diversity.” While learning the cultural peculiarities of one’s ghetto-born and bred dorm-mate, may be a fascinating “educational experince” to some, it is generally not what we think of in terms of gaining a college education, degree, etc., and will doubtfully prove very usefull in terms of procuring a job, establishing a career, ruling the world or what have you!!
Posted by HH at 12:56 AM on October 7
Brooklyn College went from being a beautiful campus to a lockdown. This occurred in the 1980’s. With the Flatbush neighborhood that it’s located in getting more and more Black residents the crime rate in the neighborhood increased substantially in the early 1980’s. The campus prior to the late 1980’s was an open campus; in other words, anyone could walk on campus, walk through the buildings, etc. After attacks on campus, especially rapes of young White women in the bathrooms - usually by Black males - security checkpoints were set up at every entrance. Today every hall of every floor of every building there has security cameras. There are security guards as well at every entrance. The college was sued many times in the 80’s. As a graduate of the college on one occasion during mid-terms as I was walking through a hallway connecting two buildings, 3 Black kids, about 13 years old were attempting to break into some candy and soda machines and this was 3 o’clock in the afternoon!! Nobody was saying or doing anything. Afraid of fighting and afraid of being called a racist - and this was many years ago too.
The standards for entrants into the school began plummeting in the 1970’s as more Blacks applied. I can remember a bleeding heart liberal teacher who gave an A to a Hispanic student for a paper that she read in class that was clearly plagiarized. I couldn’t believe it then. I can certainly believe it now. God only knows how low the standards are now. As far as White students go there are next to none in the school now, unless you want to include the Russians from Brighton Beach who tend to stick close together. Most of the section of Brooklyn that the college is located in now has ‘gone to the dogs’. Once - back before about 1980 or so - when the point of ‘critical mass’ had been reached, the neighborhood was Irish, German and some Italian. I don’t have to tell you what it is now, and what it has been for the past 20 years.
Posted by Brooklyn born at 1:12 AM on October 7
While the first article makes its points with impeccable logic, the second is a truly scary illustration of exactly what the policy of “diversity” has wrought. This was written by a university student? No doubt, a journalism student, at that. It brings to mind the “… and World Peace” line from the movie “Miss Congeniality”. Just a regurgitation of half-understood cliches, and misspellt to boot. But never mind, all that diversity will guarantee success after college.
Posted by AnalogMan at 2:35 AM on October 7
Mariam Masoud - actually not really enjoying religious diversity at the college, does she? She just uses the “diversity” to find people like her. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but for true exploring of diversity she should have joined for e.g., some discussion club along with Christians and atheists and whatnots…
Posted by EW at 3:09 AM on October 7
Wow, the Harry Potter series. Such a deep thinker (and worthy scholarship recipient) belongs in philosophy.
Posted by James Houston at 3:45 AM on October 7
Diversity is a sham rubric for erasing and debasing American culture to a national consciousness level that will allow the ushering in of full-form socialism.
The leftists need to eviscerate the cultural values of a people into an intimidated dumb sameness before they transition into a more powerful planned form of government able to efficiently control them.
Posted by Gary at 1:06 PM on October 7
Mercer Hall, University of Washington, Seattle, 1987. A black guy (ostensibly a UW student, but probably merely a football jock) would park his silver Mercedes in the fire truck zone next to the building, blocking the fire door. Sometimes he would sit in his car at night and blast rap “music” at high volume for the enjoyment of us who were trying to study. Mercer Hall, by the way, was an “intensive study” dorm for those of us who wanted to go on to grad school. It was supposed to be a quiet zone. One night a UW custodian confronted said black jock about parking in the fire truck zone and blocking the fire door, and the black jock assaulted him. I was from a small town in Washington, and I’d never seen anyone act like this. To this day I wonder, who are these people who would repeatedly, day after day, park a car blocking a fire door, hit a college employee, and crank music late at night when everyone else was trying to study.
My exposure to blacks has been minimal, fortunately, but I saw enough from that guy and a couple others to learn that I do not want to be around them. Too bad, too, because I went to college with an open mind. But their black jock representative taught me everything I needed to know. As a representative of blacks on campus, said black jock should have been on his best behavior in order to combat stereotypes. But he wasn’t.
Another example. UW, same time period. Another black football jock would cruise around campus in his black BMW with his name “Reggie [somebody, can’t remember]” pinstriped on the door. He would scream and honk at students trying to cross the road that winds through campus between classes, stare with hostility at people when he drove by, and generally was an angry, hostile, and menacing presence on campus. I never saw many jocks, who kept to themselves on the lower campus, but Reggie seemed to prefer to patrol the upper campus where the actual students lived. There are lots of stories about his behavior at parties, but I only saw him in his BMW, shooting out death stares and yelling at people trying to get to class. I can’t remember Reggie’s name, but his brother played professional football, possibly for Atlanta, and I remember reading a few years ago that Reggie’s brother was killed. Reggie himself may have gone on to play pro football. I’m sure other posters who follow football can fill in the blanks. In any case, these were the blacks I was exposed to in college, and they universally made asses of themselves while at school, and there’s about 8000 white UW alumnus who remember these jokers with less than fond memories.
Posted by at 1:50 PM on October 7
College, yes it sure does help to mix with Blacks on campus. Before I went to college Id never really met any blacks coming from a rural part of England.
So during lectures I was interested to see several blacks and mixed well with them, then I started to notice that if they couldntget their own way then the racism raised its ugly.
Low grades ? Racist teacher.
Someone complains when you push to the front of a line ? Racist student.
For me diversity at college worked wonders, I now no longer mix with blacks based on my experiences at college with them.
Posted by JasonC at 2:43 PM on October 7
diversity = suicide….sooner people learn this, the better it will be…but then liberals never learn except for the day one of those nice diverse morons shoots or rapes one of them, but why learn the lesson the hard way, if you pay attention and investigate for yourself, you will learn real quick!!
Posted by lucylou at 2:50 PM on October 7
“If there are no intrinsic differences between the races, how are racial quotas a source of “diversity”?
As sharp a and clear a question as one of Morhpys chess games.
Posted by at 5:23 PM on October 7
So, Mariam Masoud received the “Peter F. Vallone Academic Scholarship, which is for students who graduated from New York City high schools with a B average or better.”
Since when does a B average warrant a college scholarship? When I was in high school, a B average meant you’d be lucky to get into a decent college, and you could forget about getting a scholarship. And admitting that you read Harry Potter books is like bragging you’ve conquered basic spelling and reading comprehension at a fifth grade level.
By the way, corporations resent government mandated diversity hiring, regardless of their public pronouncements. It costs them billions a year in lost profits.
Posted by at 5:49 PM on October 7
Since when does it take any kind of a degree to (TAG) paint signs and pictures on the sides of someone elses property?
Posted by Obama Alama Ding Dong at 6:04 PM on October 7
How often have you gained a deeper understanding of other perspectives through conversations with fellow students because they differed from you in the following ways?
* Their religious beliefs were very different than yours.
Well, talking about religion is quite forbidden on this campus. If you have any religion at all, you will be mocked by the leftist faculty. This is a place where the official chaplaincy has to deal with the outright hostility of the faculty. I might talk to fellow students of different religions, but we talk about our campus experiences, sports, etc. Nothing about religious beliefs
* Their political opinions were very different from yours.
There is surprisingly little variation in political beliefs onb this campus. I only know one person who is openly supporting McCain. If I want diversity in political opinions, I have to leave campus and go to a neighborhood bar or something. Usually to a neighborhood some distance from campus.
* They were of a different nationality than your own.
I have talked to students like this, but we only talk about the weather, sports, campus life, etc., nothing about how our differing nationalities have shaped us.
* They were of a different race or ethnicity than your own.
Races and ethnic groups keep mostly to themselves, and that’s how most people like it. No one wants attention being called to their race or ethnicity.
* Their sexual orientation was different.
I know that people like this exist on campus but I only take notice when I’m being ogled in one of the out-of-the-way men’s rooms. I always make a lot of noise bursting into those bathrooms, just in case something is going on.
Posted by at 6:32 PM on October 7