Dear Graduate Student of Color

September 1, 2018 12:53 PM

We, the graduate application committee, want to know how we can make our program more inclusive without going through the process of hiring more faculty of color, accepting more students of color, or just making more attractive offers to both parties.

Sincerely,
Your graduate application committee
posted by MartinWisse (13 comments total)

Please feel free to shoot us......... an email.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 2:13 PM on September 1, 2018 [6 favorites]

OMG this is so, so very relatable that it's kinda upsetting me. Like…I'm glad that this exists and that it's in satirical form, but I don't know if I was ready to have all of these things re-activated all at once. Phew.

(but thanks nonetheless! +1 for brutal realism)
posted by LMGM at 4:06 PM on September 1, 2018 [8 favorites]

Yup! I think any software engineer who's a URM is feeling this pretty hard too.
posted by potrzebie at 4:24 PM on September 1, 2018 [3 favorites]

wow. I'm working in diversity and inclusion right now and trying to design a balance between motivation and policy to empower several grass-roots employee resource groups to become entrenched, supported, and impactful.

If I fail, it will be because of the attitude in this letter. We care, but we're not going to prioritize resources. I am hopeful, though, because I've already seen the change that a few people can have on a big company.
posted by rebent at 7:04 PM on September 1, 2018 [5 favorites]

This is just to say
I can't find the link
that would demonstrate
how qualified all demographics are
for higher education
if only they were required to take the SATs.
I'm sorry, it's late,
and I am tired.
But believe me when I state:
higher education should be available to all who qualify, at no cost.
and brilliance must be cultivated at the earliest ages
lest we fail as a society
and be so dumb
and so cold.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 7:49 PM on September 1, 2018 [8 favorites]

I want to read this as satire, but it's just way too close to what we really get. I REFUSE TO BE ASSIGNED AS THE COLLECTOR OF NOTES FOR ANOTHER USELESS MEETING (especially if it's about diversity initiatives).

And the bit about about Filipinos in higher ed had me dying! It's so frustrating being Filipino in higher ed outside of California. White people approach us with assumptions like we're East Asian and East Asians sometimes view us as not real Asians. We just can't win!
posted by Become A Silhouette at 8:18 PM on September 1, 2018 [9 favorites]

If we’re being honest, all we ever want in life is to feel good that we showed face and did the bare minimum.

This has honestly been about 50% of my experience in education.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 1:50 AM on September 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

My ex was almost the lone black man in his MFA program and strongly considered pre-med instead so this is painfully relevant...
posted by panhopticon at 8:37 AM on September 2, 2018

so real. it hurts. very good, very shareable.
posted by eustatic at 10:10 AM on September 2, 2018

If we’re being honest, all we ever want in life is to feel good that we showed face and did the bare minimum.

Truth. Most of us don't want to change things, we just want to be complimented for saying the right bromides.
posted by theorique at 3:05 PM on September 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

If you care, why aren’t you going to prioritize resources?

Well, that's the crux of the matter isn't it?

Lots of people care - but those who control the purse strings or who actually have the authority to make binding decisions...

Its really frustrating to hear mealy mouthed platitudes followed by, if not nothing, only mere tokens of resource towards improving the situation.

(psst, it's because those in authority to release resources/ make binding decisions actually don't care, or care about the bottom line more, or actually care - that the status quo not change)
posted by porpoise at 6:33 PM on September 3, 2018 [2 favorites]

This could have been written by my colleagues, if any of them had enough emotional awareness to articulate their true feelings about diversity.

White people...they're just not articulate.
posted by medusa at 6:35 AM on September 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

Add to that the inability of administrators to try to say, coordinate efforts across campus, replace ineffective people in the area, actually put into place simple recommendations, etc. etc.

I hate the "we're even spending xxx dollars" spread across 100 people each doing 100 tiny ineffectual things.

The xxx is always a small number.
posted by lab.beetle at 12:52 PM on September 4, 2018 [1 favorite]