The University of Alabama's "Quotagraphic" display

A new exhibit is making its rounds at the Capstone. Called the "100 Lenses Project," it was sponsored by the University's Crossroads Community Center, which was created by the UA administration last fall in response to demands for a campus multicultural center.

The goals of the "100 Lenses Project" were:

1. To depict the culture of the University of Alabama through the eyes of students.
2. To assess campus culture and determine areas where there are gaps, wide or narrow margins and intersections.
3. To generate discussion about the University of Alabama’s culture.
4. To assist Crossroads Community Center in understanding campus culture through the eyes of students from different backgrounds.

Here's how it worked: 100 students were selected to go around and take lots of pictures using disposable cameras provided by the CCC. The idea was for them to take photos showing the culture of the University of Alabama from their unique perspectives. At the end, each student was allowed to choose three of his photos for use in a collage which is now being displayed at various locations around campus.

Sounds pretty noncontroversial, right? Well, it could have been, but...

If you read through the information sheet, here's what you'll find:

• Under Selection of Students: "Diversity in ethnicity, race, gender, and university affiliation will be considered." [Translation: Yeah, we've got quotas, but they're flexible... you'll never catch us on it.]
• Under Considerations: "A diverse set of students will be selected" [In case you didn't get the point already] and "University statistics of 100 participants." [What the heck does that mean? Perhaps a more diverse vocabulary is what's needed.]
• Under Instructions: "Using a disposable camera, participants are asked to take pictures of the culture of the University of Alabama from their perspectives. Diversity in ethnicity, race, gender, and university affiliation will be considered." [Pretty clear now what's most important here, huh?]
• Under Process Map: "Demographic form will need to be filled out to ensure that all information is correct and processing of student statistics is accurate." ["Hey, go to the library and find an Asian dude. We're one short."]

All of that raises a few questions:

1. It is clearly stated that diversity of race, gender, etc. will be considered in the selection of participants. Were any specific criteria used to determine whether the group was "diverse enough?" If so, what were they? If not, what is the meaning of "considered?"
2. More specifically, were quotas used? If so, what were the "magic numbers" for each demographic group? If not, how did you ensure that a diverse set of students was selected? Absent quotas, what would you have done if you had found that the final group of 100 was not diverse enough?
3. Were any categories besides "ethnicity, race, gender, and university affiliation" considered in order to assess "diversity?" For example, religion, sexual orientation, or political affiliation?
4. What was the purpose of collecting demographic data from the nominees/participants? Was the demographic data of the nominees/participants compared to any other demographic data, such as from the University as a whole, from the State of Alabama, or from the U.S.? If so, what was the purpose of the comparison and how did it affect the process of selecting the participants? If not, I repeat: what was the purpose of collecting demographic data?
5. What questions were asked on the demographics forms? What statistics were computed? Are the statistics included as part of the display? Are the statistics publicly available?
6. Were any students rejected because their participation would upset the diversity goals?How many students were rejected? Why were they rejected? What did they write on their demographic profiles?
7. Who nominated and selected the participants? How were the nominating individuals or groups selected?
8. Finally...Were any Australian aborigines included among the 100? Monty Python fans? Trekkies? Eunuchs?

I hope to find out the answers to at least some of those questions over the next few days, and I'll be sure to follow up. (If someone at UA can get hold of one of those demographic forms, or provide any additional information, I'd be most appreciative. Send it to BamaLeeP@gmail.com.)

So, why should something like this even matter? I mean...those of us who work (or at least simulate it) in the real world have plenty of things to worry about already. Why should we care about some silly collage at the University of Alabama?

Here's the short answer:

The diversophiles who reign on college campuses today - whether they call themselves multiculturalists or interculturalists or whatever - believe that no enterprise or pursuit is legitimate unless it conforms to a narrow and limiting concept of "diversity" that places value on human beings not as individuals, but according to their group identities. Under this philosophy, the success of an endeavor is measured not by its...ummm...success...but by the "diversity" of the participants: Were whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, men, women, gays, etc. represented in the right numbers? Did everyone feel that their voices were heard and that they were sufficiently included in the process?

For the diversophiles, diversity is not merely the means to an end; it is the principal objective. If they are correct in their views, then the whole American experiment is illegitimate. For example, the U.S. Constitution doesn't require that Congress, the executive branch, and the Supreme Court must be composed of 51% women, 12% blacks, and 10% homosexuals (or 5%, or whatever the latest study shows.) It doesn't even require that there be one woman, or one black, or one homosexual (or one man, one white, or one heterosexual, for that matter). That's anathema to the diversophiles, but to me, it's a good thing. It means that we still live in a land where people are free to make their own decisions, absent the intervention of diversocrats, diversophiles, and diversity-mongers.