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Thread: Diversity in college admissions

  1. #1
    Oliphaunt
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    Question Diversity in college admissions

    Do any colleges have someone whose job it is is to ensure diversity in the student body?

  2. #2
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Many American college admissions offices try to encourage diversity in selecting the incoming freshman class, although there are some legal restrictions in doing so. Strict racial quotas are out; seeking a diverse student body is generally permissible. Here's more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleg...#Other_factors

  3. #3
    Oliphaunt
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    Thanks Elendil. Reading the "admissions" section, there doesn't seem to be a person whose EXPLICIT job is to create/maintain student diversity.

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    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    There are certainly administrators who "campaign" for their jobs on the purported "strength" of their "diversity" "policies."

    In fact, anecdotally, I'm pretty sure I have heard of "diversity coordinator" or something like that.

    Administrators forget that the root meaning of their job title is to serve -- in their case, to serve their betters, the scholars of the community.

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    I don't know about "betters," but certainly the scholars' mission is the whole reason the community exists at all.

    It does appear that at least some American institutions of higher learning have staffers whose primary job is diversity:

    http://www.centralia.edu/students/di...ordinator.html
    https://curry.interviewexchange.com/...7D?JOBID=38568
    http://www.chass.ncsu.edu/about/dive...oordinator.php
    http://www.westerntc.edu/diversity/coordinator.aspx
    https://polytechnic.purdue.edu/diver...y-coordinators

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    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    Vindicated! I knew I'd heard the term specifically at various institutions I've been involved with.

    No, not Bellevue, you chuckleheads.

    It is true that administrators serve a role that keeps the purposes of the university in line.

    True fact, some so-called scholars actually enjoy doing things like being Department Chairs -- but scholars, IME, dutifully serve when it's their turn as department chairs, but they're not happy about it. Not that they'd complain in earshot of UGs, but I'm mighty suspicious of (a) doctors who seem to relish the task and (b) people who think it's somehow a post of honor.

  7. #7
    Oliphaunt
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    Thanks guys!! I assumed they existed too. Hilarious confession: I've never lived more than half an hour from Curry! Grew up in the town.

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    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    What's Curry?

    And, since you're a live one on the reel, what's your interest in all this diversity shit, anyway?

    Seriously -- not trying to bait you unduly, but I am curious. You seem pretty chill, so might as well know where you're coming from, metaphorically.

  9. #9
    Oliphaunt
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    Trying to write story. Either peripheral character or 1-off story character interested in Identity Politics.

    Curry is one of the colleges linked above.
    Last edited by Erictelevision; 14 Jun 2015 at 10:20 PM.

  10. #10
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    Oh gawd -- you have your hands full.

    I assume you know Philip Roth's little pop-novels about his alter-ego professor -- those are fun, but if y....

    wait a minute....what was the Leonard Cohen novel that had the professor in it....beautiful losers.....and, of course *Herzog*, but that's different.

    Shit, mang, that's an arena I've tried and failed to tackle -- not about identity politics (I'm not sure that phrase means what it did, say, twenty years ago) -- but about academia in a different specialty.

    Good luck!

    Break a leg!

    Suck my dick!

    Loser!

  11. #11
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Jizzelbin View post
    True fact, some so-called scholars actually enjoy doing things like being Department Chairs -- but scholars, IME, dutifully serve when it's their turn as department chairs, but they're not happy about it. Not that they'd complain in earshot of UGs, but I'm mighty suspicious of (a) doctors who seem to relish the task and (b) people who think it's somehow a post of honor.
    That was somewhat overstated.

    (i) Some scholars have burned out and are no longer capable of teaching or of conducting research -- so they become department chairs, because nobody else wants the job

    (ii) Some scholars have a genuine talent for office-admin-type things, and this is the only way to keep their foot in the door

    (iii) Some scholars are regular scholars who, whether they want it or not, recognize that they have a collegial responsibility to step up for a few years every decade or so.

    (iv) Some scholars just decide to become department chairs because, who knows, they had a bad divorce, or like being a doorstop for the younger generation.

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    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    AND THEN

    in the STE disciplines, it's different. Mathematics is obviously a liberal art, so it should not be included in the popular political STEM designation.

    Most of these people aren't scholars -- they're technicians coming from industry, many times with their most advanced degree being in business administration.

    So, for them, of course, being a "department chair" is like being a senior VP from corporate industry.

    That's no mystery.

    I was talking about logicians, mathematicians, and so forth -- not welders and software engineers.

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    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    I mean I tried to write a novel about academia. Didn't get anywhere. Wouldn't have made sense to anyone outside of my milieu, anyway.

    I am getting somewhere doing stuff in the Webernian miniatures of the Bernhard of the *Ereignisse*, but it's a start, anyway. And not just a start -- that's where I hope to spend the rest of my days as a shit-heel cocksucking writing piece of shit.

  14. #14
    Oliphaunt
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    Post padder!

    Thanks for the encouragement.

  15. #15
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    Oh you little shit. You are fucking dead as fucking dead!

    Yeah, well, maybe I run off at the mouth a bit, but it's meant to be relevant.

    Good luck Hank Miller Jr!

  16. #16
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    And no, I'm not trying to pad my post count -- there's no percentage in it.

    Still, you have me pegged me pretty good -- I just like to spout off at the mouth.

    But I got your number too, Danielle Steele. Watch your back greenhorn!

  17. #17
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    That's the kind of stuff that got all of my posts deleted at one private board, and banned at a newspaper blog's comment section. The latter didn't delete my posts, but still, not my kind of place.

    So, just so there's no hard feelings -- I really would like you to see write a good story, and I do like to help where it's possible.

    So give me more details so I can steal it, tinhorn!

    eta

    There are quite a few aspects, ISTM, of "diversity," as a catch-phrase, within contemporary university politics, that are extremely interesting. Well, you lucked out, my friend -- I happen to have been a grad student for a shit-long time, and close friends with actual professors (not that STEM-type MBA "lecturer" type shit -- they can suck my root) for even longer.

    What I lack in factual detail I can give in the form of anecdotes.

    There's very few things I know about in life, but academic politics happens to be one of them.
    Last edited by Jizzelbin; 15 Jun 2015 at 07:28 PM.

  18. #18
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    One thing I didn't think about -- you should be reading *The Chronicle of Higher Education*. Also, there used to be a website called something like ArtsandLettersDaily that had good inside stuff on academia.

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