Racial separatism - alive and well at a University near you!
You've got to read this to believe it: the California State University East Bay newspaper carries an editorial calling for more minority teachers, and includes the incredible statement that for Hispanic students, "There are some things they can learn only from Hispanic faculty, especially when it comes to advising".Here's the link:
http://pioneer.csueastbay.edu/PioneerWeb/PioneerNews10-19-06/PioneerFrame10-19-06.html
People actually believe this stuff, and it was somewhat refreshing to at least see them describe what they really think, but I couldn't let that stand, so here's the requisite "Letter to the editor" (I'd be interested to know if anyone else even bothered to write in along the same lines):
Dear editor: regarding "The not-so-diverse side of CSUEB" – What empirical evidence, studies, or even observation support your contention that Hispanic students can learn certain things "only from Hispanic faculty"? This bizarre presumption, offered up as established fact, suggests that learning and education should be divided up along racial lines - have you even stopped to consider that your proposal is the exact same thing as the "Separate but equal" rule that was found unconstitutional?
Arguments regarding the concept of representation engage the dubious proposition that a college is best served when racial presence, expressed as a percentage, must mirror the larger society in order to be effective. If Black Americans make up about ten percent of our population, and the student body at CSU East Bay is ten percent black, but the faculty is "only" seven percent black, then you'll have to engage in racial hiring quotas to fill that three percent gap. And once you've achieved it, what then? What does this racial parity actually achieve? By advancing the notion that students can only really "learn" or feel "comfortable" with someone whose skin is the same color as theirs, you've refuted the entire concept of learning, which is to discover things you didn't already know. Such ideas might seem commonplace on today's college campuses, but they are supported neither by facts nor common sense. Can "only" Jewish people learn of the horrors of the Holocaust from Jewish professors? Can only Hispanics learn of Mexican history from other Hispanics? Don't patronize people by telling them that they are incapable of learning "certain things" from anyone other than members of their own tribe, unless you can define for the rest of us exactly what those "things" are.
And thanks for stating that your white faculty is, in fact, qualified - this is right next door to the old "Some of my best friends are black" canard. In fact, when you pursue your new racial hiring program, why not just hang out a sign saying, "Whites need not apply"? What you're arguing for is no different. Next time, try to think more specifically about what it is you're trying to achieve. By all means, let's have more people of all backgrounds on our teaching staff, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that they are being brought in specifically to reach "their" people. Quality education for all should be the goal, and it's a goal we should be trying to achieve together, not broken down into tribes.
Dismiss me as a “White Male” if you must – and engage in exactly the type of racism you claim to stand against – but you still have to explain what, precisely, students can “Only” learn from their racially-similar brethren. How about a student who is half Mexican, half Caucasian? Will we need to supply both a white teacher and a Hispanic teacher, or do we need to hire a half Mexican, half Caucasian teacher? The absurdity of your logic is apparent with any degree of scrutiny.
posted by ET @ 2:30 PM
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