In the recent oral arguments in the two racial preferences cases before the Supreme Court, a central issue was “diversity.” The advocates of racial preferences for some groups claim that schools would suffer if they couldn’t employ preferences to assemble a student body that’s “diverse.”
In today’s Martin Center article, Eric Johnson scrutinizes the diversity rationale.
During the arguments, Justice Thomas asked Ryan Park, representing UNC, why “diversity” was so important. Johnson writes that, “Park’s meandering, multipart answer—touching on rural students, veterans, enhanced creativity, bias reduction, ‘deepness and richness’ in the learning environment, and the statistically stronger performance of racially diverse groups of stockbrokers (!)—exemplified the mushy, everything-to-everyone logic that has made affirmative action such a ripe target for litigants and such a lopsided loser in opinion polls. ‘We value diversity of all different kinds in all the ways that people differ in our society,’ Park said. Look for the conservative opinion to quote that line disapprovingly come June.”
Justice Thomas didn’t find that answer satisfying, nor should anyone else. UNC obviously isn’t attempting to curate classes with students who think differently, but only who might look differently. (And to the extent that colleges do have students who think differently, it’s not at all clear that there is much benefit from that, since unpopular voices are usually attacked and suppressed.)
So, why does diversity matter? Johnson answers, “Diversity is needed because universities are creating competent citizens of the modern United States, which has emerged as the world’s first large-scale, multi-ethnic republic. Making American democracy function in a truly pluralistic society is a compelling interest in a way that feelings of belonging and better brokerage desks simply aren’t.”
Most American colleges and universities make no effort at that.
Johnson concludes, “’I’m focusing on what you went to college to do, to learn something,’ an exasperated Thomas explained during last week’s hearing. I wish someone had answered that learning to be an American is plenty compelling, and that E Pluribus Unum is part of the curriculum.”