DEI programs in the news

[spork]

Nice to see MIT formally abandoning this meaningless fad. Its institutional practices -- e.g., no legacy admits, no sports scholarships -- already did far more for diversity than anything done by Ivy League universities.

[Langue_doc]

DEI in today's comics.

[apl68]

Nice to see MIT formally abandoning this meaningless fad. Its institutional practices -- e.g., no legacy admits, no sports scholarships -- already did far more for diversity than anything done by Ivy League universities.

Right--requirements for diversity statements are really about saying the right things, making the right gestures, nodding one's head at the right time--the sort of thing that goes under the term "virtue signaling."  Like so much of what has come to be identified with DEI, it creates strife and confusion and makes people feel threatened, without appearing to do much practical good in the process.  The institutional practices that actually show results are where the emphasis needs to be.

To put it another way--a candidate who doesn't much care about diversity, or about treating others right in general, but has a mastery of the stereotyped jargon expected in a diversity statement, can cynically say the expected things and check that box.  A candidate who actually has the strong sense of ethics and fairness that DEI is supposed to be all about in principle, but who isn't familiar with or comfortable with the jargon, can end up being written off as somebody who can't be trusted in diversity matters.

[dismalist]

In announcing the change, M.I.T.'s president, Sally Kornbluth, said diversity statements constituted a form of compelled speech that do not work.

If they don't work, they wouldn't have to be abolished. Problem is they do work in selecting faculty.

[ciao_yall]

In announcing the change, M.I.T.'s president, Sally Kornbluth, said diversity statements constituted a form of compelled speech that do not work.

If they don't work, they wouldn't have to be abolished. Problem is they do work in selecting faculty.

I disagree. I have seen some that were so cringeworthy we were able to avoid wasting our time interviewing the candidate.

[Wahoo Redux]

In announcing the change, M.I.T.'s president, Sally Kornbluth, said diversity statements constituted a form of compelled speech that do not work.

If they don't work, they wouldn't have to be abolished. Problem is they do work in selecting faculty.

I disagree. I have seen some that were so cringeworthy we were able to avoid wasting our time interviewing the candidate.

Why were they cringeworthy?  What does someone say in a DEI statement that is so wrong it eliminates them as a job candidate?

[Hibush]

In announcing the change, M.I.T.'s president, Sally Kornbluth, said diversity statements constituted a form of compelled speech that do not work.

If they don't work, they wouldn't have to be abolished. Problem is they do work in selecting faculty.

I wonder how MIT worded the request so that it appeared to be compelled speech.

Our prompt is along the lines of, "What kinds of diverse students have you taught, and how have you investigated and responded to potential obstacles to their learning and full participation in class?"
That is no more compelled speech than asking what kind of grants people have applied to and how their applications responded to the individual needs of diverse sponsors.

[Ruralguy]

Asking candidates questions regarding things you actually care about is what the candidate selection process is all about. There might be disagreement over whether DEI questions themselves are always important, but that doesn't mean they are inappropriate.

[dismalist]

In announcing the change, M.I.T.'s president, Sally Kornbluth, said diversity statements constituted a form of compelled speech that do not work.

If they don't work, they wouldn't have to be abolished. Problem is they do work in selecting faculty.

I wonder how MIT worded the request so that it appeared to be compelled speech.

Our prompt is along the lines of, "What kinds of diverse students have you taught, and how have you investigated and responded to potential obstacles to their learning and full participation in class?"
That is no more compelled speech than asking what kind of grants people have applied to and how their applications responded to the individual needs of diverse sponsors.

And when did you stop beating your wife?

[spork]

[. . .]

Our prompt is along the lines of, "What kinds of diverse students have you taught, and how have you investigated and responded to potential obstacles to their learning and full participation in class?"
That is no more compelled speech than asking what kind of grants people have applied to

[. . .]

It is compelled because not answering the question means your application goes in the trash.

It is also irrelevant because it assumes that the answer reliably indicates one's past and future job performance. In my case, knowing what each and every one of my students considers salient to their identities is not my job. Trying to elucidate this information from students can be perceived by my employer as discriminatory and illegal. Simply looking at my students and deciding in what ways they might be "diverse" is definitely prejudicial. So when did you stop beating your wife?

[Wahoo Redux]

I wonder how MIT worded the request so that it appeared to be compelled speech.

I think it actually has to do with the answer: you must answer in a very specific way, with specific jargon, and agree to a specific ideology, to get the job.  That is my takeaway from the mass of articles and complaints out there.

If I were truthful, I would say that all students are equal in my eyes until they F*** up in my classes, and then some students are obviously better than others no matter their ethnic or race or religion or socioeconomic status.  But that absolutely would not fly.  And I can't just say, "I am very aware that some topics are sensitive to some people, so I avoid those unless they are absolutely necessary or are brought up by a student, and then I take steps in class and out to make sure that said topics are handled appropriately." DEI wants more than this, and I am never sure what that is.

[Hibush]

I wonder how MIT worded the request so that it appeared to be compelled speech.

I think it actually has to do with the answer: you must answer in a very specific way, with specific jargon, and agree to a specific ideology, to get the job.  That is my takeaway from the mass of articles and complaints out there.

Is there evidence that MIT was actually doing that?
Our DEI/HR reps are clear that doing so is completely unacceptable. We're trying to hire the best people, and some skills in serving a diverse audience are valuable but subscribing to a particular ideology is definitely not.

[apl68]

I wonder how MIT worded the request so that it appeared to be compelled speech.

I think it actually has to do with the answer: you must answer in a very specific way, with specific jargon, and agree to a specific ideology, to get the job.  That is my takeaway from the mass of articles and complaints out there.

If I were truthful, I would say that all students are equal in my eyes until they F*** up in my classes, and then some students are obviously better than others no matter their ethnic or race or religion or socioeconomic status.  But that absolutely would not fly.  And I can't just say, "I am very aware that some topics are sensitive to some people, so I avoid those unless they are absolutely necessary or are brought up by a student, and then I take steps in class and out to make sure that said topics are handled appropriately." DEI wants more than this, and I am never sure what that is.

That uncertainty is a big part of what causes such paranoia and pushback around DEI.  Maybe a lot of it is more perception than reality, but perception matters a lot in getting people on board with something.

[ciao_yall]

In announcing the change, M.I.T.'s president, Sally Kornbluth, said diversity statements constituted a form of compelled speech that do not work.

If they don't work, they wouldn't have to be abolished. Problem is they do work in selecting faculty.

I disagree. I have seen some that were so cringeworthy we were able to avoid wasting our time interviewing the candidate.

Why were they cringeworthy?  What does someone say in a DEI statement that is so wrong it eliminates them as a job candidate?

Trying to remember specifics.

• One just wrote "I have no idea what to say here."
• Another made a point about making sure to compliment immigrants on their English.
• "I talk to everyone, CEO to janitor, top to bottom."

That sort of thing. People who are more about making the point that they see humanity in those others might see as sub-human or inferior as opposed to being reasonably educated about why a college with a diverse student population might be asking such a question.

[Wahoo Redux]

I wonder how MIT worded the request so that it appeared to be compelled speech.

I think it actually has to do with the answer: you must answer in a very specific way, with specific jargon, and agree to a specific ideology, to get the job.  That is my takeaway from the mass of articles and complaints out there.

Is there evidence that MIT was actually doing that?
Our DEI/HR reps are clear that doing so is completely unacceptable. We're trying to hire the best people, and some skills in serving a diverse audience are valuable but subscribing to a particular ideology is definitely not.

As apl said, there is a lot of perception going on here. 

And I'm not sure that people are always aware that they have a mindset or ideology at work. I've been through enough aggressive, angry, person-shaming trainings to have seen this in action.  As I've said, and ciao has also said, simply trying to be a good person is not enough. And when I look up "DEI" online, I find some pretty declaratory statements about what it is, but does anyone have a specific method for making sure it works?

I still wonder what diversity officers spend their time doing.