Posted on 07/17/2019 7:26:43 AM PDT by reaganaut1
...
Nevertheless, in a time when academic resources are stretched thin and many traditional academic departments are facing retrenchment, it is reasonable to ask whether the continued expansion of [grievance studies] departments is justified. Is there something beyond their inherent academic value that is driving the growth of cultural studies programs at the expense of other departments and, perhaps, the overall health of the university?
The answer is yes. It is the contemporary university’s quest for a diverse faculty.
Almost all elite universities make it a top priority to increase the number of minorities and women on their faculty. Yale is pursuing a $50 million initiative to enhance faculty diversity; Brown has committed $100 million to hiring 60 additional faculty members from historically under-represented groups; Princeton committed funds to support 15 to 20 diversity hires.
The problem is that universities cannot simply go out and hire the desired minority and women faculty. Doing so would be a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, something that is not well understood by many advocates of faculty diversity.
Stimulated by the Supreme Court’s decisions in the cases of Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, the past fifteen years have seen much discussion of the legality of pursuing student diversity in higher education. Grutter held that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment permits public universities to consider an applicant’s race in their admission decisions for the purpose of promoting a diverse student body.
Title VI of the Civil Right Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in programs that receive federal assistance, applies the same standard to (almost all) private universities. Thus, institutions of higher education in the United States may consider sex and minority status in order to increase the diversity of their student bodies.
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
The fact is that there is a ton of funding available for social justice research and the tenure process requires published research. You need grant money to do this.
“grievance studies departments”: A complete description in three words. Brilliant.
At my school they are pushing all of us hard (white guys too) to do research as undergrads, and the only money around is linked to social justice research. The school wants to grow its influence, and farming a large crop of students with advanced degrees seems part of the plan, but despite being in a conservative area the money for academic research is all tied to advancing social justice. I have no idea of why that is, but it is. It seems a bit limiting and soul destroying, frankly.
True justice will be obtained when all the Whites who favored affirmative action are replaced by non-Whites, who then direct their hate at them.
“linked to social justice research’
Do the research and publish the truth. You will probably be canned.
I took no grievance based classes. More than likely I will publish on my own dime rather than letting myself get stuck in an academic cattle chute. There is so much neglected territory to choose from, I’ll be spoiled for choice. If I choose well I’ll be cited because there won’t be a zillion other studies clogging search results. I think that is the way out rather than contributing to the laser focus on social justice at the expense of literally everything else.
The grievance studies departments have always been sheltered workshops for faculty who couldn’t cut it in real academic departments. They are also a way to warehouse students who don’t measure up. Both functions are driven primarily by the desire of universities to hit their affirmative action quotas.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.