Issue of the Week LXXV: Dartmouth Students Call for “Transformative Justice”

i don't understand why they didn't have these in the first place, especially now. Many Ivy League schools have many races and have had many for quite some time. I just don't think students even had to demand something like this.

The article says,"Departments that do not have 'womyn' or people of color will be considered in crisis and must take urgent and immediate action to right the injustice." But what if no "womyn" or people of color apply for these departments? Would they still be considered in crisis? I think that would be going too far.

I think that it is awesome what those students are doing. They decided to stand up for what they believe in and because of them they are making a change to better their university. They should have had something like this going already, where they would bring more diversity into the school, but at least the are going to work on it now. This can only help to expand the knowledge.

After reading this article, my first thoughts were, “If the students themselves brought this ‘transformative justice’ decree to the college administrators attention it is probably because the administrators (many, perhaps not all) are too privileged themselves to be aware of the issues”. However, the more I researched the issues, the more I found I was asking more questions.

There is a graph on the Dartmouth website about the percentage of students that are in minority categories, well, actually it says ‘students of color’. The graph shows 36% of the students are ‘of color’. First; this statement is specifically saying ‘students of color’, Really? What exactly identifies someone as color? Do they checkmark any box other that ‘white-non-Hispanic’? Or do they send a picture/video with their application so when being evaluated the admissions board can visibly ‘see’ a white looking student, even though they checkmarked the box, ‘other- more than two races’, because one of their great-grandparents was Spanish, another Native American, and a grandparent Eastern Asian. Therefore that student can be ‘placed’ into the student of color category, even though the picture is of a blue-eyed bottle-blonde. My point being is that is the students demand, “increasing enrollment of black, Latino and Native American students to at least 10 percent each” from the article we read that would put the ‘students of color’ at 30%, which is a part of the 36% Dartmouth already says they have. So, when walking around campus the students that put the ‘transformative justice’ together only ‘see’ a smaller percent because visually a large percentage of the 36% ‘students of color’ look white and/or are not involved in the diversity organizations therefore not ‘seen’ as ‘students of color’? Or for example out of the 36% is there only 5% African Americans, 5% Eastern Asian Americans, 5% Latino Americans, 5% Native Americans and 16% other-more than two races Americans. Again this is just an example, and if the students want 10% of each Native Americans, African Americans and Latinos, to be enrolled then wouldn’t the other students of color want to have 10%, too? And even if Dartmouth does increase ‘students of color’ what if the majority are Christians, then the religious minorities will want their 10% Jewish, 10% Buddhists, 10% Muslims, etc…(you get my point), to be enrolled, and if we examine this more at least 10% of those enrolled (whether having color or no-color and/or religious preference) be gender specific (LGBT).

Second; this graph from Dartmouth is minority specific by saying ‘students of color’, negating students’ ethnicities, religious preferences, and gender (LBGT) and I would add class but on the same graph the class is implied that ‘students of color’ are poorer. The graph specifically shows 47.5% of the class of 2012 “receiving need-based aid” (Dartmouth). The key words here are ‘class of 2012’, indicating the entire class no matter what color or internationality. However, why is this information specifically on the ‘students of color’ graph? And if Dartmouth administrators feel this is important information to show that they are extending scholarships, they should have accurate percentages of only the’ students of color and international students’, not the entire class of 2012 (which includes ‘students of no-color’). This information should be on the admissions section, or financial aid section, yet it is on the diversity report reinforcing that ‘students of color’ and ‘international students’ are not rich enough to afford to attend Dartmouth. And if Dartmouth is so expensive that almost 50% of the students cannot afford it, why?

There is also a section showing the growth of International students, (I do not want to assume because this category is on the same graph as the students of color that all the International students are from India and China for example, many of these students could be white Europeans), yet this category is placed on the same graph as students of color. And yes, I understand this is the diversity page, therefore international students are considered ‘diverse’, yet no gender specific, religious preferences or ethnicities are on the graph.

I did see on Dartmouth’s website where the college celebrates diversity with organizations, speeches, training seminars to educate students and faculty, as well as student blogs to support these claims, I also found articles disagreeing with Dartmouth’s claim.

And as many of us college students have learned, it is the American Institutions that need to restructure the existing paradigms in order to be a nation of equality. Apparently Dartmouth is taking steps to do just this.

Sources:
Dartmouth. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~tenyearreport/dartmouth-for-all/diversity.html

I think what these students are doing is awesome as well. They are standing up for what they believe in and because of that there is change happening. It is kinda sad that this school didn't realize this before but it is good that these changes are happening. But in regards to the departments having more colored teachers and administrators, that is sometimes hard to regulate because it all depends on who applies and who is qualified for the position. But as longs their is equal opportunity then it is fair.

I agree with this statement. All of the most brilliant people don't have to be white, other races have many chances as well.

It is so nice I think for students to demand the their rights to fight for the justice

It is so nice I think for students to demand the their rights to fight for the justice

That's exactly right, these students have every right to demand justice and they are entitled to their rights.

I like how the students took initiative for what they believe in. Not many have the courage to do so but these students fought for what they wanted to improve. I think that is redoubtably remarkable.
I don't know much about the Ivy League schools but from former comments I can conclude that they include diversity. If this is true, I wonder what intention these students have to make 70 demands. In the first place, however, it is great that these students showed courage.

While I believe the idea is a good one, I also see holes in logic of the plan as well. Being a person of both white and black heritage, I have seen both black and white households and up-bringings. Oftentimes, more than anything, the biggest issue with these upper level schools is money. I have two white friends from high school who scored lower on the ACT and had lower GPAs than me, and are now in their final semester of undergrad at Duke University, which is quite a bit more prestigious than my university, UCCS. They also have had no financial aid or scholarships of any kind, and their parents have been able to pay the out of state tuition, which is currently over $40,000 per year. Attempting to raise the percentage of minorities in the school is a righteous mission, but minority income levels are much lower on a national average than whites. While financial aid and scholarships are available, there certainly is not enough for everyone. So while I believe that this movement will help to rectify the perceived "problem" a little, more outside factors need addressing for the change to have any chance at becoming significant.

I think it is great for these students to take a stance on what they believe. They are trying to make a change and help future students out. Because ethnically diverse and minority students generally aren't offered the same education and opportunities as whites, I believe they will open doors for students who haven't had opportunities like this before. I wish we lived in a world where "all men created equal" was a reality, but because we don't, instances like these help move our society forward in places where it may have been slacking or moving very slowly.

I am glad that this issuse is being addressed. A school should not just be diverse in students they enroll but should also have a diverse faculty. Diversity among faculty brings in diverse experiences and diverse teaching styles which may allow students to find what best fits them. I also think that wanting help with financial aid is a great thing, every college should strive for this because tuition costs around the country are getting ridiculous.

I can see where the students are coming from when trying to implement more diversity into their school, but how possible is that? I believe diversity should be implemented everywhere and the more diversity the better. The Ivy League schools should be run by more than just white men. With that being said I'm curious if people of diversity are even applying for jobs at this school, or if students of color can even afford these schools. It is an expensive school to go to and the economic gap is still not where it should be. I'm interested to see the numbers of diversity they have currently.