Numbers don’t lie, but that doesn’t mean they tell the truth.
When the Class of 2010 comes flooding down Huntington Avenue this September, about one-quarter will represent a minority group. For the university, it represents not only an achievement in diversity, but in promoting such diversity the correct way. The mean grade point average and SAT scores will have risen, and that is a credit to every student of every race.
From a purely statistical standpoint, NU will be competitive in the diversity of its student body with nearby Boston College (22 percent) and Boston University (27 percent) according to U.S. News and World Reports.
All of which sound nice. So why does NU still face questions about its minority relations?
In short, the numbers don’t tell the whole story, and the university is more than just its student body. The university is also faculty, but has tenured only 31 African-American professors (out of 605).
The university is also student organizations, such as CUP, which has come under fire from other student groups for removing its Diversity Chair.
The question then becomes: How diverse must NU be in order to appease everyone? Though not a rhetorical question, it might as well be.
Relatively speaking, NU’s faculty diversity hasn’t faced the public relations mess of the University of Massachusetts; Boston, loudly criticized by minority leaders last month for its rejection of J. Keith Motley as interim chancellor in favor of a white candidate. (Ironically, Motley served as dean of student services with NU for ten years.) Regardless, the inability to hire and retain minority professors has become glaring.
The issue then becomes whether a 25 percent minority class is an aberration or a sign of things to come. After all, how long can minority students be taught by a predominantly white faculty and get involved in organizations that have ignored diversity before they become distressed for their future as leaders? How long until they feel as though they are merely percentage points to make the university look good in U.S. News and World Reports?
At the Curry Student Center on June 7, a panel discussion was held regarding racial politics. The recurring theme was children, that in order for children of minority groups to thrive, their ideologies must be based on the inclusion of minority perspectives (and that includes faculty and student groups).
The university will view the approximately 3,000 incoming freshmen as a step forward, but what they really represent is the need to look at the bigger picture: an increase in minority students should result in more diverse faculty and student organizations.
After all, 25 percent is just a number, and numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
