Civil Action?

I doubt that any self-respecting academic from any ethnic origins wants his or her professional contacts to think that a position is held, tenure received, promotions granted as a result of skin color.

Likewise, I doubt the laudable plan to become the nation’s premier Hispanic serving institution meant that it would achieve this goal by emulating the social order set in motion everywhere in the world where hierarchy of order is based on skin-color loyalty.

Finally, it is clear that the politicians and the public truly understand tenure: “But Salas believes the criteria an institution uses in determining tenure or dismissals can go too far. “If you have a policy that is not egalitarian, then maybe it needs to be reexamined,” he said.” MAYBE???

mdg, at 8:45 am EDT on July 14, 2006

The only “diversity” that ought to matter

Agreed. “In the context of Higher Education, the only “diversity” that ought to matter is the"diversity” of ideas.” Diversity of Ideas may be the goal, however, the matters of race, ethnicity, gender, relgion and sexual orientation etc. and the negativities that the dominant culture places on these protected categories, are still present and must always be considered and examined.

Agreed. “Simplistic racism, exemplified by tenure decisions apparently predicated on ethnicity, should have no place in academia.” Surely one cannot imply that universities are hiring and offering tenure based on ethnicity? Simplistically thinking, if that scenario is true, we would all have tenure, regardless of quailification, because we all have ethnicity!The reality is that racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, and homophobia exist at personal and instituitional levels. Its been said, “If you keep doing what you’ve always done you’re going to get what you’ve always got.” We must enact countermeasures to the ‘isms that formed the foundations of our ivory towers.

VFL, EO/AA Coordinator at WA State, at 11:55 am EDT on July 14, 2006

reply to Prof. Challenger

I agree entirely with the premise of your question which, of course, contains its own answer as well.

Those who embrace and extol the hue of one’s skin or the shape of one’s genitalia are racists and sexists, but in today’s corrupt world of academia they are hailed as “diversity defenders.”

If one assumes that women “know” important and significant things — say, in history, economics, genetics, zoology, philosophy, soil science, volcanology, etc. — that men cannot “know,” then the opposite must also be true.

The autobiographical crapola about “victimhood” or “discrimination” is irrelevant and absurd in 2006.

Ditto with assuming that blacks “know” important things that white cannot “know” — history, economics, genetics, zoology, philosophy, soil science, volcanology, etc.

The autobiographical crapola about “victimhood” or “discrimination” is irrelevant and absurd in 2006, as made crystal clear, for instance, in Shelby Steele’s brilliant new book.

But most universities are still dominated at managerial levels by guilt-ridden, soppy middle aged white males for whom double standards diversity is a key to their demonstration of “caring” and “inclusion.”

Most of those same men would not be hired today for their own jobs if the racist and sexist standards they endorse for others were applied to them.

Chuck, at 12:55 pm EDT on July 14, 2006

“s” must stand for “sophistry.” Why is there a need for Highlands to state it’s goal as being a premier “hispanic” institution, rather than simply a premier instiution.it follows the same old false thinking that only hispanics can teach, be role models, inspire etc other hispanics. stop seeing the world through the lens of race, “s", and you’ll understand the outrage from those of us opposed to these racist practices.

Josh, at 12:55 pm EDT on July 14, 2006

“Gender has nothing to do with sex”

Is that so? Are you really saying that hormones and the equipment to reproduce have “nothing” to do with behavior and psychology.

I wonder if we are all free to self-identify as whatever we want. Does this mean that people who claim to be brain surgeons might merely be “self-identifying” as one?

Larry, at 2:50 pm EDT on July 14, 2006

A GEISELIAN PERSPECTIVE

Surely there’s a scientific solution to the ongoing problem of preferring or not preferring individuals based on skin pigmentation. We’ve mapped the genome and can clone humans, surely we can alter the tone of our epidermises without much trouble. Universities that demand a certain balance of skin tones among their professoriate (or among their students, for that matter) should put their researchers to work on making this technology practical and affordable. Rather than fire white professors, they could be changed into brown professors. In the same way, brown professors could choose to become white professors if they felt it was to their advantage. It should be possible to reverse the procedure. One could select from a variety of new skin colors, and change them in short order depending on the socio-political climate.

Those who were paying attention during their primary years may know that the great social critic Theodore Geisel (known to most folks as Dr. Suess) wrote a work of fiction describing the social forces that brought about such a technology. The book is called “The Sneetches,” and it’s a simple story. Simple enough that I suppose even a college president could understand Geisel’s point. Unfortunately, it would appear that leaders who aren’t in bondage to the mindset of the unenlightened sneetches are at the mercy of hordes of sneetches who are so shackled. Technology is probably the only force that can ultimately expose the cartoonish silliness of that mindset.

ClioSmith, Associate Professor at Trinity Bible College, at 2:50 pm EDT on July 14, 2006

HSI

Well, by identifying as an HSI there is additionally federal funding available to the college. Historically black colleges and universities try to do the same thing — hire African-Americans for positions because they believe it is the best hope for students to reach academic goals. The reality is quite different. African-Americans are still not earning enough Ph.Ds across disciplines to fill vacancies at HBCUs or are opting to work in other types of institutions. HSIs will experience the same problems. The goal of a brown faculty is an ideal that cannot be met with the current numbers of graduates with the appropriate credentials, those demanded by the accrediting agencies. The racism that is inherent in these types of hiring practices will only fail the institution in the long run.

monty, at 4:05 pm EDT on July 14, 2006

Yes, Alison

Hey Alison. You made exactly the right point. I was simply responding to the article as written, not the whole context. It is utterly true that Bill bribed Manny to get him out of the center of NM politics and that NMHU had to suffer for Bill’s little problem. This fact was reported in the Santa Fe New Mexican when Manny took the job. I was laughing when I read this morning that the Gov says he doesn’t manage universities. Well, no, but he appoints the Regents and look what a mess the last two boards have made at NMHU. Who is guarding the guardian here? I shudder to think of Richardson as President or even VP of the USA.

I look forward to the op-ed.

s, at 6:15 am EDT on July 15, 2006

Dueling over Diversity

Two points, the first is that Manny Aragon was not just a state senator, he was the Patron of the state legislature for many years. To say he is an advocate for hispanics is to ignore a whole history of questionable activity.

Second, it is my impression that the university I work for has a fund to hire ‘opportunity’ minority and women candidates without regard to the need for the position or for demonstrated competence.

Bill, Professor, at 7:50 am EDT on July 17, 2006

ERivero — You speak to the point very well. There should be no racial, gender or social discrimination. One cannot tell from looks. Therefore, don’t look too hard. Hiring Hispanics preferentially is just as bad as hiring brown folk preferentially. Hire for the knowledge, not the origin.

Oligonicella, at 9:55 am EDT on July 17, 2006

Poor Jean Ann, maroooned in the 70s.......

Poor Jean Ann, pleading and insinuating that black people or Latinos because of their black skin or Hispanic surnames actually “know” things, aside from autobiographies, that non-blacks or non-Hispanics cannot.

Yo’ Jean Ann — go out and read the great mid-80s novel by Danny Santiago called *Famous All Over Town,* which was widely touted and embraced as an insider’s view of life in the east L.A. barrrio, told in a way that no outsider ever good.

What a great scam it was!

It was written by a rich white guy from Kansas City (Daniel Stewart, I think) and caused quite a fuss.

It’s time to recall this whole sordid episode to reveal once again how misguided, illberal, and downright reactionary in its racism are the haughty claims made by today’s diversity crusaders.

Chuck, at 2:25 pm EDT on July 17, 2006

What an embarassment for the state of New Mexico. As a former employee of NMHU, I was in the unfortunate position of watching the university attempt to implement their “HSI” plan. This town is the epitome of small-minded. To the people of Las Vegas, the world begins and ends between the first exit and the third exit off I-25. If you don’t share a Hispanic surname that is recognized in the town, you might as well be invisible. I am a Hispanic female with a Bachelor’s Degree and believe me when I tell you that I was a minority. Not because I was Hispanic but because I was a female with a college degree. NMHU would be doing a great service to the state of New Mexico if they would get rid of the “Good Ol’ Boys” and focus on educating those who walk through the door, regardless of ethnicity. Shouldn’t that be somewhere in the university’s mission statement?

SK, at 11:05 pm EDT on July 17, 2006