AAUP Announces Voluntary Affirmative Action Plan
by Andrew Alexander | View comments |
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Unlike other affirmative action programs, the new plan achieves its desired result — faculty diversity — without quotas or even discrimination.
Voluntary Affirmative Action Program
February 26, 2008
Dear Professor White: While the Constitution technically forbids discrimination on the basis of the race, the Supreme Court recently confirmed that racial discrimination that enhances diversity is acceptable.1 The diversity rationale is based on the argument that a diverse faculty is an important part of the “robust exchange of ideas,” and that an institution, and the faculty who help run it, must be able to decide “for itself on academic grounds, who may teach, what may be taught, how it shall be taught, and who may be admitted to study.” For years the AAUP has worked diligently to increase the number of diverse2 faculty through outreach and recruiting programs, and many member institutions have implemented specific targeted hiring programs. In addition, a number of institutions have set up programs designed to create the flexibility to hire individuals who add particular expertise, experience and diversity to an area of need. Despite AAUP’s efforts, recent surveys show that many institutions of higher learning lack the requisite amount of diversity that AAUP deems necessary in order to be deemed sufficiently diverse. Thus, AAUP has developed a new program specifically targeting non-diverse faculty who are interested in actively supporting this fundamenal issue. If you are a recipient of this letter, you are a non-diverse person.3 Your presence on the faculty fails to represent the diversity of views and experiences crucial to a broad education, and leaves your institution vulnerable to damaging discrimination lawsuits. Therefore, in the interests of diversity, AAUP suggests that you resign to make space for a diverse person. Non-diverse persons who elect to participate in this program will have their contributions to diversity recognized on the AAUP Voluntary Affirmative Action Plan Wall of Honor. Moreover, your voluntary resignation will result in great benefits in education for all students. Toward diversity, Cary Nelson ——————————————————————————– 1. Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003). 2. Non-white. 3. White male.
President
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I didn't recognize the parody until the end. I read the article because the AAUP is so far left that they fall off the end of the earth (of course it is flat just ask them).
The sad part of university diversity programs is that they are just another form of discrimination where the less able are given positions deserved by others. When are the race card holders going to stand on their own merits instead of ficticious victimology?
I hope Mike Adams sees your article…he could have fun with it.
Comment by Mickey G | February 26, 2008
What a sad state of affairs.
Comment by sedonaman | February 26, 2008
Diversity in the hands of the Left has become a dirty word. Diversity should mean diversity of ideas and not people. Regardless of who the instructor is he/she should be qualitifed to be an instructor.
To obtain diversity of instructors by race we have abandoned much of the standards of quality. This is a disservice to all the students.
But behind all this is the Left's move to have its malignant ideology shoved down the throats of young students.
Would a black professor who is clearly on the Right be hired by the colleges and universities? In most cases the answer is no, not because of his skin color but because his ideology is not to their liking.
Just look at how the Left views conservative blacks. They don't applaud them but snidely refer to them as "Uncle Tom's," or "Orios." Some even go further in denoucing them with pejorative terms that come right from the gutter.
And what about students in the Left's land of diversity? Supposedly diversity gives the student all sides and then lets him/her make up their own mind. This means some students will take one side, others another.
So what happens when a student takes the side opposite to that of the Left. Often they risk failure or getting a grade much lower than their work deserves. In some cases they may even find themselves ridiculed in class by that instructor. I believe there may even have been some lawsuits based on this vile behavior when the school failed to intervene.
My point: diversity has become perversity!
Comment by NHGrouch | March 2, 2008
NHGrouch:
“To obtain diversity of instructors by race we have abandoned much of the standards of quality.”
This was observed by Dinesh D’Souza in his 1990 book, Illiberal Education. As I recall he said, “Diversity is diametrically opposed to quality.”
The most blatant example of this that I could find is the University of Michigan’s admissions standards (pre Bollinger), illustrated by the bar graphs at the end of this article http://www.uiowa.edu/~030116/116/articles/bronner2.htm . Note how the standards have been lowered for minority applicants by the creation of a fourth category, “admit to remedial program.” (not to mention the lower test scores and GPAs). One might logically ask why a supposedly top university is wasting resources on any remedial instruction – that’s what community colleges are for.
“This is a disservice to all the students.”
This might come as a surprise to you, but teaching is Priority 3 in higher ed. It appears that the further away you work from students, the more you are paid and the further you advance – much like in engineering and computer science – the further away you work from equipment, the more you are paid and the further you advance.
“Would a black professor who is clearly on the Right be hired by the colleges and universities? In most cases the answer is no, not because of his skin color but because his ideology is not to their liking.”
This is true. To paraphrase Selwyn Duke, the academy has become a place where ideology is not rejected when it conflicts with truth, but where truth is rejected when it conflicts with ideology. This is nothing new. The most brilliant talk I ever heard on Marxist/Leftist nonsense was given by Bishop Fulton Sheen on his TV program. Explaining the concept of truth and the difference between how Communism and Western thought arrive at it, he posed the question, “Where are the sox?” Western thought turns to REALITY – you look for them in the dresser. Communism answers by stating, “Wherever the Party says they are!”
Comment by sedonaman | March 2, 2008
sedonaman:
I believe we are on the same page. However your comment, " It appears that the further away you work from students, the more you are paid and the further you advance – much like in engineering and computer science – the further away you work from equipment, the more you are paid and the further you advance," has me befuddled as I'm not sure what you mean.
I would appreciate a clarification for my simple minded brain.
NH Grouch
Comment by NHGrouch | March 4, 2008
NH Grouch:
Though a little dated, there is a good chapter entitled "The flight from teaching" in ProfScam by Charles Sykes that explains this concept. In it, he states that salaries are inversely proportional to teaching load.
Lest you think this book might be propaganda, it explains some things I observed as an undergrad.
Comment by sedonaman | March 5, 2008