Am I Diverse Enough?
When Andrew Quinio graduated from Berkeley in May 2008, one of his proudest achievements had to be serving as editor-in-chief of the California Patriot, the conservative campus magazine.
However, in a recent column on mindingthecampus.com, Andrew noted that it was impossible to reflect on his four years at Berkeley without thinking of the word “diversity.”
While the goal was supposedly a climate of “cultural tolerance and understanding,” Berkeley “appeared to encourage a divisive culture of victimhood and entitlement.” For example, “housing students by race seemed . . . an odd approach to ending racial division.”
After living in a freshman dorm with floors reserved for an African American Theme Program; an Asian Pacific American Theme Program; a latino-centered program; and a gay-themed housing unit, Andrew wondered how such separation would end divisiveness.
And although a cluster of campus advisory groups was available to provide guidance for “underrepresented students,” he knew that no guidance was available for a truly underrepresented minority, namely conservatives like him.
Andrew said the school’s “exaggerated concern” about racial and ethnic hostility turned out to be a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”p>
When public hearings were held by the pro-affirmative action campus group By Any Means Necessary to expose examples of “racial hostility,” several minority students showed up, eager to tell their stories.
One student reported that he was discriminated against because his professor did not call on him when he raised his hand in class. Another “cried ‘racism’ after her student group was asked to move their event to a different part of the campus due to a scheduling conflict.”
And what were the students’ recommended solutions to these problems? “More special programs for minorities, greater funding for the Ethnic Studies department, and . . . the resurrection of racial preferences in college admissions.”
Deborah Lambert writes the Squeaky Chalk column for Accuracy in Academia.
Deborah Lambert
