Wow. I'm surprised that was done. One of the first things they tell us in 'teaching for diversity' is that you don't single out people due to race, disability, whatever. jeez.
I turned down a doctoral fellowship at a school that wanted me to attend a summer program for new minority grad students. I hold a JD and 2 masters. I don't need anyone to teach me about the wonders of grad school, but because they saw the race on the application, they immediately thought I needed some kind of remediation.
I actually told the admissions committee why I was turning them down. I felt that if I went to this session, then classmates and faculty would always suspect my work - maybe I wasn't that great if I needed a summer course. I would have been handicapped before I began. Even if I did not attend the session, I didn't want to go to a place that ignored my accomplishments and saw me as a race.
"I turned down a doctoral fellowship at a school that wanted me to attend a summer program for new minority grad students."
You are such a credit to your race! (That's sarcasm!)
Really, how insulting of a university to single you out because of your heritage. I've always said that Affirmative Action demeans and belittles the very people it purports to help. Good for you for rejecting their patronizing attitude and for telling them WHY!
I was, as well. I know very little about teaching, but to single one person struck me as being in poor taste, if nothing else. The HR person didn't have a whole lot of sense, anyway....actually, none of the management that I worked with did.
Glad I'm not working there anymore.