EARLIER this month the Board of Visitors questioned and addressed the changes made to diversity programs within the University. In terms of minority representation, the University is taking great strides compared to other public colleges. For example, total graduation at the University among African-Americans is at 86 percent, much higher than the 40 percent national average of public colleges, according to reports by the Special Committee on Diversity.
Additionally, Chief Diversity Officer William Harvey gave a public address earlier in February called "Issues of Race at Predominantly White Institutions." Harvey cited interesting passages from his own speeches and speeches of others dating from the 1980s and 1990s. Unfortunately, Harvey did not allocate much time in the speech to the current role of colleges, particularly the University, today.
During the question and answer session, when asked about the state of affirmative action today, Harvey explained that it has been watered down and replaced by a misrepresentation of what it is truly meant to be. He then gave appalling statistics that faculty representation of blacks nationally is now five percent, up only one percent, and Hispanics around three percent, up only two percent in the past 25 years. Though Harvey concentrated on the need for diversity in the past, he should concentrate more on the present state of diversity both in the University and other colleges. The role of affirmative action has changed since his essays from past decades, and the University must change its focus from stressing affirmative action to preventing education gaps between minorities.
Affirmative action programs attempt to maintain or increase racial diversity, but all colleges must set the eventual goal of having enough minority representation to make the programs obsolete. The defacto result from abolishing affirmative action in colleges would be a reduction in minority representation in student bodies and faculties around the country.
While committees and programs designed to improve diversity are beneficial and improve the reputation of the University, these programs should not be designed to be permanent. The Board of Visitors will decide at a future date to dissolve the President's Special Committee on Diversity. The University is correct to conclude that while an initial effort should be made to enhance diversity enforcement, any eventual enforcement of diversity should be by the faculty departments themselves, not by a committee. More diverse departments attract interest from a more diverse range of students. Therefore, making departments reach out farther in terms of diversity would offers those departments incentive not only by attracting a more diverse base of interest but a greater base of interest in general.
Improving the changing roles of diversity should not solely be the work of special committees or faculty. While the University establishes committees to improve diversity, one of the best ways for students to contribute to equal representation is to increase and fortify programs for tutoring students within the K-12 school system, since the best way to increase minority education in colleges is to tackle any problems before they start. Madison House has created programs designed to target local schools for improving education of students falling behind. In order to bridge the minority education gap, more emphasis should be placed on tutoring programs for minorities.
Additionally, the University should create more programs that assess and rate minority tutoring not only at the University but at other colleges and K-12 schools so that these schools will be able to be as proactive as the University is on diversity. Better education at an elementary school level leads to higher salaries and economically can provide more funding for education and diversity.
If student and faculty action is taken now, there will be enough equal representation within our lifetime to end the need for affirmative action. However, for now, the University must continue to lead the way for both itself and all colleges to truly represent minorities in not only the student base, but in faculty and administration.
The University is making broad steps to achieve this goal, but all students and faculty must contribute to the goal of diversity. The better represented we are, the better the chance that policies such as affirmative action will be unnecessary in our lifetime.
Adam Silverberg's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at asilverberg@cavalierdaily.com.
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