NOTE: I was going to post this at 2:45, but f**king IE pulled one of its random shutdowns, and I had to go to class before I got a chance to rewrite it
I missed this before (the article, not the actual fact): Syracuse University has a new chancellor-elect, and she did a brief Q&A session. Let's see how it went:
Diversity was the hot topic at the session."I am, as you may know, passionate about diversity for the following very simple reason, well two reasons," Cantor said. "One, really the heart of intellectual excellence of an institution is in how diverse the perspectives it can bring to the table. So diversity and excellence are completely intertwined in my opinion.
This makes me a bit nervous about the future of the school. Another one of these "different colors=different ideas" people is going to be in charge next year.
"The second reason I am passionate about it is that one of the main things that an institution of higher education can do is prepare citizens for the future. And the future of this country, and of the world indeed, is in a great multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multicultural mix."
Again, why does she think that we need to take any action to accomplish this goal? In any case, universities are supposed to teach knowledge. People learn about society from personal experience, not forced diversity. Let's see some more:
Her work in the Supreme Court cases on affirmative action at the University of Michigan last year, Cantor said, was emblematic of her avid support for diversity on campus. Being a social scientist, Cantor has allowed herself to study and understand the importance of diversity of perspective in higher education.
If they were really interested in "diversity of perspective," they wouldn't keep hiring people like this. The current chancellor supported the UM case too. I like how she acts as if her enforcement of racism is a testament to her commitment to racial equality.
Intellectual excellence lies in diversity of perspective, Cantor said, and the perspectives of different races and genders must be allowed to both create their own identities, and have access to come together for debate and understanding in the intellectual community.
Since when does this not happen automatically, and why does "diversity" affect intellectual viewpoints?
"I believe that access is absolutely critical to all our institutions, and as institutions, our excellence depends on having that access and having that diversity," Cantor said. "I don't think access is where it ends. And a lot of my work has been, and continues to be, in thinking in how you make use of, if you will, that diversity. That is, we just don't open our gates, we should be building integrated communities that bring different perspectives and life experiences to bear."
Notice how she can go through all that without actually defining what diversity means? It reminds me of a line from Macbeth: "It is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
They talk and talk and talk, but they never really say what "diversity" is supposed to mean, or when we'll have enough of it to eliminate "affirmative action" once and for all.
I hope I'm not stuck taking Tolerance 101 next semester because of this woman.
Posted by CD on February 9, 2004 04:14 PMIn my experience most of these "diversity" backers are people who grew up in upper class white bread towns and went to high schools that could afford hockey teams and particle accellerators. They'd never met a minority until they were in college and have a sort of "survivors guilt" about that.
To the most of us who grew up in well-mixed urban and suburban neighborhoods they sound rediculous, but to themselves (if only subconsciously) they are merely trying to compensate others for their own sense of a lack of "diverse experience."
Don't judge them too harshly. They're just hopelessly self-hating rich white kids who want to proove that they're not racists for having been brought up so priviledged.
Sounds a lot like Howard "I requested a black roommate in college" Dean.
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