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| Evan Shepherd |
What is diversity? Ask a thousand people and I’m sure you will get a thousand variations. I venture to assume that a great majority of those will focus on something you can quantify. Ethnicity, race, socio-economic level, gender, age, etc. are all quantifiable characteristics of a person's being. In that sense, levels of diversity are easily measured. As a society, we have begun to quantify diversity and the result has not been pretty in some cases. Don’t agree with me? Read the article below. You can easily count and categorize things or people as ‘diverse’ without giving a second thought to the purpose of seeking diversity.
Don’t worry; it’s time for that second thought.
What is the end game of policies enacted to foster diversity? You may not agree, but the Supreme Court says that it is to achieve a critical mass of people. That is, a representation wide enough that no person feels isolated as a minority or feels the burden of representing an entire group of people. Although the Supreme Court purposefully chose not to quantify the term critical mass, many schools have started to quantify their pursuit of a critical mass. The trend toward quantifying a critical mass neglects one essential fact; people who share certain characteristics do not necessarily share the same experiences.
People who share certain characteristics do not necessarily share the same experiences.
As a society, we need to have a discussion on what qualifies a person as diverse and what the meaning of diversity truly is. Don’t agree with me? At least you gave it a second thought.
Read this USA Today article and watch the video
Evan Shepherd, of Madisonville, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying political science and business administration.