More Researchers Try to Measure Diversity's Effects

Ashley Thorne

The Chronicle of Higher Education has graciously made one of its articles available for free. "Q&A: Researcher Describes Mixed Educational Benefits of Campus Diversity" is an interview between Chronicle editor Peter Schmidt and James Sidanius, one of the authors of a new book, The Diversity Challenge: Social Identity and Intergroup Relations on the College Campus.

We note that Mr. Schmidt asks some good questions regarding the usefulness of affirmative action and diversity policies, but Sidanius answers them evasively. One interesting quote from Mr. Sidanius shows that he and the other authors found racial grouping on campus to have a deleterious effect on students' ability to get along with others: "Relatively high ethnic identification leads students to join ethnically oriented groups, and once in the groups, ethnic identification increases further, leading in turn to an increased sense of ethnic victimization." 

To read the interview in its entirety, CLICK HERE. The article will be free until March 18, 2009.

  • Share

Most Commented

November 20, 2024

1.

NAS Welcomes Administrator McMahon's Nomination to Serve as Education Secretary

With McMahon, the new administration has a chance to drastically slim down and depoliticize the Education Department....

November 19, 2024

2.

Lee Zeldin Should Reform EPA Science Policy

NAS welcomes the nomination of Congressmen Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency....

October 29, 2024

3.

The Looming Irrelevance of Middle East Study Centers

Today’s Middle Eastern Studies Centers are facing a crisis due to the winds of change in the Middle East and their own ideological echo chamber....

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

September 21, 2010

3.

Ask a Scholar: What Does YHWH Elohim Mean?

A reader asks, "If Elohim refers to multiple 'gods,' then Yhwh Elohim really means Lord of Gods...the one of many, right?" A Hebrew expert answers....