Diversity Training Dog Whistle

George Washington University is mandating diversity training for campus groups. “The University’s multicultural office is planning a mandatory diversity training program for members of all student organizations,” Chloe Sorvino reported in The GW Hatchet. “Michael Tapscott, leader of the Multicultural Student Services Center for the last nine years, said his office is planning workshops to help thousands of students from different backgrounds understand and bridge their differences through interactive exercises and video-based online modules.”

“The office already offers training on various types of diversity – ranging from differences in race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, religion and political beliefs – and hosts workshops upon request. It could take until June to figure out logistics for the new program, he said.”

Free thinkers may wonder if the university is dog-whistling speech codes for views it finds problematic and skirting around the First Amendment in the process. “In recent years, colleges and universities have generally turned from speech codes to harassment or civility codes covering students, faculty, and other members of the university community,” Johns Hopkins University professor Benjamin Ginsberg wrote in his book The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and why it matters.

Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.

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