> let's go to
https://diversity.berkeley.edu/rwle-books and click on "Anti-racism resources"
One of the repeated oversights in these discussions is taking resources out of context. Just because something is available on the public web, doesn't mean it was designed for a public audience. The Berkeley rubric we've been talking about is the first example of that.
Here you're taking a reading list on the Berkeley diversity site which is described as:
Read, Watch, Listen, Engage is a space where students, staff, and faculty can share books, podcasts, conferences, and more on E&I-related topics.
So what we're looking at is a reading list Berkeley students and faculty use to share interesting books with each other. This is made doubly clear since as you noted, most of the links are internal Berkeley library links.
I think it bears noting that Berkeley is regarded as one of the most left leaning institutions in the country and maybe even world. I'm certainly not going to put myself in the position of arguing that some of the content you've linked to and quoted isn't divisive, or that Berkeley of all places isn't left leaning. But at the same time I would say the leftmost department at the leftmost university in the country should be as bad as it gets, right? I just don't see how a reading list is really convincing the world that "everybody is a white supremacist".
Honestly I know what you're talking about as far as this kind of perception that is spread, but I really don't think it's academic DEI offices that are the main culprit, although I think they're associated with it. And the reason I think that is because academic DEI offices can't make faculty buy into any of what they do, and our tolerance for having to do extra work is exactly zero. So the efforts they come up with don't go very far unless we actually want to do them. Like, if you're on a hiring committee and you think DEI statements are bullshit, you don't have to read a single one. You don't have to give any DEI aspect as single moment of consideration. You don't have to ask a single DEI related question. No one is going to force you to do anything.
But the more I think about it, the more I believe the problem is the move of DEI initiatives into corporate America. HR has far more power over employees than DEI departments do over faculty. I could definitely see them taking something that worked well in the academic model, and turning it into a Frankenstein in the corporate world. It also would explain the quite divergent point of view we both have of the same topic -- you're in the corporate world and have experienced all the worst aspects of DEI initiatives, I'm in the academic world and it's worked out quite well for us because it makes more sense here.
> What impression does the applicant get after being asked to write a diversity statement and going to the diversity website?
We can look at an actual Berkeley job posting and see what applicants see. Here's an advertisement for an assistant professor in physics:
https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03085
The DEI letter is described as follows to the applicant:
Statement on Contributions to Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including information about your understanding of these topics, your record of activities to date, and your specific plans and goals for advancing equity and inclusion if hired at Berkeley (for additional information go to https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity).
If we follow the link to additional information, we find:
Advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are responsibilities of all Berkeley faculty through their research, teaching, and/or service. As a public institution we expect all new hires to meet our equity and inclusion standards for excellence. These responsibilities are codified in both the UC Berkeley Principles of Community(link is external), and The University of California Regents Policy 4400(link is external)
The actual UC diversity policy is here:
https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/governance/polici...
And it's pretty anodyne, but it makes the case I've been making here: California has a diverse populations, Berkeley exists to serve Californians, therefore Berkeley must work to accommodate a diverse student body. Pretty straight forward.
The other link has the Principles of Community:
https://diversity.berkeley.edu/principles-community
These are the documents that the search committees would use as the basis for any DEI related decisions, as they have far more weight institutionally.
Okay, so let's bring it full circle. The job advertisement asks for a DEI letter. The DEI letter is supposed to address how the applicant will abide by Policy 4400 and the Principle of Community. I think the principles as listed above are quite different from the Berkeley diversity reading list, and I don't see why any candidate should have a hard time addressing these topics.
Let me ask you this: I don't presume to know what you believe, but would you find it objectionable to write a DEI statement arguing that freedom of expression and allowing diverse viewpoints on campus is important to diversity and a healthy ecosystem of ideas? I don't know how you feel abut that, but this would be a perfectly acceptable DEI statement according to all of the language laid out in the job advertisement and its linked content (as long as you also discuss how you work to advance freedom of expression).
> Good luck. I'll stop replying since this thread is way past its expiration date.
You too! :)