Being Diversity Sensitive in 2010

Current conundrum: Required Diversity

Our department has hosted student-written blogs for the past year and a half. Students detail in words and photography all the campus life that a student experiences (save a few select genres including late night beverage consumption.) We get real information directly from the students piped directly to the public (prospective students, parents, university officials) and get content that a professional adult would not be able to, due to the change in student behavior when present. This is students in their natural habitat.

Our coaching and education of our selected photographers was stepped up this year. We had a thorough interview process and portfolio review. We only had 15 people apply for the 5 spots and about 8 of them were aptly qualified for the job. As an equal opportunity institution, we examined the portfolios for content quality. The hired students consisted of 4 females and a male from varied years in school and several diverse states. They were all caucasian.

The blogs were of such quality and interest that our main University web page picked them up for the month to run as content with a link to our department's page and all the blogger biographies. Within 4 days, the Provost communicates to us that we need to include 2 racially diverse bloggers as soon as possible.

We're now in the awkward situation of having to interview, locate and hire 2 additional racially diverse bloggers. Besides the fact that only one non-caucasian person interviewed for the position, only 4 were male. There are many other factors that are not being acknowledged in the process of adding 2 student employees:
- Going over budget: we were able to afford payment for 5, not 7.
- Bloggers have a day of the week to blog, M-F. Do we add a Saturday and Sunday post?
- We will have to train new employees mid year and assist them in the process of executing the blog.
- The other photographers may feel reverse discrimination. We don't want them to think "My work is good but I'm caucasian." They worked hard to get to this job.
- How will the new photographers feel, being brought in mid-year?

We have to decide whether we're willing to make a choice that may potentially compromise quality in order to represent diversity on our campus. If students that represent minority ethnicities on campus are not interested in the position, we can't force someone to do the job. At the same time, if we leave our current content untouched, we're being accused of only selecting caucasian students: last time I checked, if we did not discriminate by choosing talented individuals over equally talented minority individuals, we've not done anything wrong.

If only caucasian people run for congress, the citizens do not nominate someone unprepared and elect them just to be a minority voice.

Yes, we'll evaluate how we advertise the position next year. Campus wide television ads, Facebook, Twitter and student newspaper are as equal opportunity as I can think of.

Thoughts and comments will be appreciated.

-Workin' Girl-