Author: Damian Mendieta
To most people the faculty seems diverse enough, but a closer historical look reveals startling facts. About a decade ago, the college didn’t just hire faculty of color; an extraordinary culture of diversity was proactively nurtured by the administration and Occidental developed a reputation as a premier college for challenging injustice. Many professors who have been here longer than the current administration has can attest to Occidental’s negative shift away from diversity.
Right now, an outstanding professor of color is about to leave Occidental. Politics professor Natasha Behl was not offered a position next year to the outrage of many students of her students. Professor Behl’s invaluable skills have empowered many marginalized students to become amazing writers and eloquent speakers. She has taken countless hours outside of her academic schedule to unlock the potential students of color carry, a heavy burden that she took on without hesitation. Losing Behl’s expertise in Indian and Latino politics, her ability to inspire students and her impressive curriculum vitae means losing the equivalent of three professors, as well as a vital component to the newborn Latina/o and Latin American Studies major. The college had a chance to rehire Behl last year but didn’t.
Professors of color frequently go out of their way to provide guidance to students struggling at Occidental. The college must understand that for students of color who have been oppressed from the day they were born, especially those who are first-generation students, faculty of color are invaluable pillars of support. Besides teaching several courses, these professors tend to work passionately with student organizations and do all they can to help students deal with the culture shock of Occidental. Once students and professors understand that they share common struggles, special bonds bloom that provide students with the supplemental emotional, mental and social support that Occidental fails to provide.
Perhaps the declining number of faculty of color correlates with fewer students of color on campus. The voice of marginalized people is not what it once was, evident in the abysmal demographics of students and faculty of color. The student body is compromised of 14.4 percent Latina/o, 13.5 percent Asian, 4.1 percent Black and 0.5 percent Native American students. Additionally, 11 percent of professors identify as Asian, 10 percent as Latina/o, 6.5 percent as Black but not one professor is Native American. Available on Occidental’s website, these statistics fail to portray the socio-economic differences of students and faculty.
Occidental likes to appear inclusive and liberal, but it is only for display. Just two years ago, the stated commitment to diversity included, “Consistent with our affirmative action policy, we strive to recruit, develop and retain talented individuals from minority and underrepresented groups.” An additional phrase was proposed but not included that would have committed the College to back up their words with their money:
“…and by the expectation that the college’s resource’s, material and monetary, will be expended so as to closely reflect these shared commitments.” Students, faculty and alumni can agree: a false illusion of diversity deflects accusations of racism as the college seeks to benefit from its self-proclaimed liberal agenda.
The people of color who arrive on campus, faculty and students alike, are often tokenized for their marginalized experiences. For example, low-income students of color are treated as exhibits during classroom conversations, rather than fellow students. Especially in ethnic studies courses with few students of color, white students are able to study oppressed groups behind a shield of privilege; unfortunately, too few classes challenge white privilege to empower students of color. For the most part, the ones tokenizing are oblivious to the effects it has on marginalized individuals.
A diverse faculty should not be taken advantage of for the “other” perspectives it provides. Just as there are often only a handful of students of color in most our classrooms, professors of color are equally outnumbered in their departments.
There is still a chance for Occidental to save and revamp it’s commitment to diversity. The legacy of President John Brooks Slaughter, the chief architect behind Occidental’s diverse campus, cannot die on the vine after much of his work goes quietly undone. When Slaughter left Occidental in 1998, he told The Los Angeles Times that his greatest accomplishment was proving that diversity and quality were one and the same. “People have for a long time believed that if you focus on diversity and equality that you have to sacrifice quality in students and faculty,” he said. “We’ve shown that both can rise at the same time.”
The college can do many things to improve its faculty diversity standing. For starters, Occidental once belonged to the Consortium for Faculty Diversity. The Consortium focuses on bringing diverse candidates into professorships at liberal arts institutions, something that Occidental is failing at. The ideal professors of color would be those of humble economic origins, those likely from public institutions. The Consortium works to recruit highly adept individuals and introduce them to the liberal arts system of education. WIthout question, the impact of not participating in this organization is significant since the last recruit Occidental brought in via the Consortium was about six years ago.
Students and professors should frequently gather to discuss the declining numbers of people of color. Additionally, there should be inquiries into the relationship between diverse faculty and the administration. In a letter dated May 10, 2012, a group of about 30 faculty asked President Jonathan Vietch, Dean Jorge Gonzalez and professor Amy Lyford about affirmative action, recruitment of diverse faculty and their subsequent retention. Rather than keep things in the shadows, a campus-wide forum should be put on to discuss diversity within the faculty with students of color moderating the discussion.
The future of a diverse faculty worries many and should worry more. For those involved in diversified student organizations, there has been a declining shift in participation when speaking out against racial injustice. While student activism to clarify the sexual assault issue on campus is important, race cannot be neglected. Campus-wide student participation will be crucial to make any significant change to the current state of diversity.
Occidental used to be the trailblazing beacon of diversity in higher education until different administrations shifted institutional priorities. Though the college endowment has been affected by a volatile economy, there are things that can be done in the meantime. A faculty committee once existed that upheld diversity in admissions decisions; it was disbanded for various reasons, but it wouldn’t hurt to look into this option. Additionally, greater administrative support and participation in student organizations dedicated to diversity would be a strong display of solidarity.
Occidental can be the prestigious liberal arts institution it brandishes itself as by making social justice and equity its top priorities. Receiving roaring critical acclaim for past diversity initiatives, the college has the potential to reignite that commitment. The price of upholding diversity may be great but the cost of ignoring this fundamental mission of Occidental will be be far more significant.
Damian Mendieta is a sophomore Latino/a & Latin American Studies and History double-major. He can be reached at mendieta@oxy.edu.
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