A lack of diversity in academia
The article "Why are there so few African-American professors on campuses?" (Feb. 25, 2002) raises a good point.
Diversity in elite institutions of higher education is still a serious concern. In spite of decades of a variety of policies that were aimed at increasing the number of minority students and faculty, most of the top schools, especially in the Ivy League, have become largely complacent about the issue.
Unless one thinks that African Americans and Latinos prefer (or are only capable of) service jobs to getting an enriching education, radical new steps have to be taken and new ideas have to be developed. The fact is that African Americans have fought for equality of opportunity for more than 40 years and, at least in higher education, the fruits of such labor are late in coming. Now, as we begin to see the demographic changes that accompanied the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1964, those in control have to brace themselves to the fact that new 'minorities' will swell in rank over the coming generations. In particular, Latino Americans have come to the fore and are now the largest US ethnic minority group according to the last census.
Latino Americans provide both a cultural contribution to our society as well as a new challenge. Coming from a multiplicity of cultural backgrounds and not necessarily united by race, Latinos represent a new sort of pluralism that is emblematic of our era's globalization and multiculturalism. However, as we look across our country's elite campuses, this largest of ethnic groups is hardly present outside the lawn-mowing industry. In a town like Princeton, where thousands of immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico and other Latin American countries seek to become part of the American Dream, so far their role is limited to serving others. Princeton University is not an exception. Sadly, such a great institution looks much like it did 30 or 100 years ago in terms of ethnic diversity.
Why are there so few African-American professors at Princeton? Why are there so few Latino professors at Princeton? These questions should not remain rhetorical. In one of the most sizable departments, the Department of Politics, for instance, there are no minority professors. There is, though, an implicit affirmative action policy: it does not state that between equally qualified candidates the minority candidate may get preference; it is simply "qualified minority candidates are encouraged to apply." Thanks for the encouragement. Diego A. von Vacano GS Department of Politics
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Patrick Jaojoco, Brandi Bushman, and Humza Gondal"We — the undersigned leaders, community members, and allies of cultural affinity groups of Princeton University — condemn in the strongest possible terms the University’s utter disregard for the safety and wellbeing of its students of color."
"We — the undersigned leaders, community members, and allies of cultural affinity groups of Princeton University — condemn in the strongest possible terms the University’s utter disregard for the safety and wellbeing of its students of color."
On the occupation of Clio Hall and the treatment of Graduate School staff
Cole M. Crittenden“There are real power differentials on this campus, and we all have an obligation to be mindful of them. The students, postdocs, and faculty who occupied Clio Hall seem to have abused their privileges in the ways they treated staff as an expression of protest. That is wrong.”
“There are real power differentials on this campus, and we all have an obligation to be mindful of them. The students, postdocs, and faculty who occupied Clio Hall seem to have abused their privileges in the ways they treated staff as an expression of protest. That is wrong.”
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Rishi Khanna“When Princeton administrators suppress mere disruptions tied to progressive speech, they effectively suppress a substantial portion of the speech itself.”
“When Princeton administrators suppress mere disruptions tied to progressive speech, they effectively suppress a substantial portion of the speech itself.”
