The content of the University's character

The debate about diversity, always divisive, has reached a new pitch. It is with this background that we raise the rhetorical question: Is IU-Bloomington diverse enough? \nThe responses to this seemingly unanswerable question often elicit far more heat than light. Thus, we believe it is important to suggest new ways of looking at the problems confronting our multiracial society.\nWith a 10.3-percent minority student body in a state with 13.2 percent non-whites, the diversity numbers aren't reassuring. But they're even worse when you compare the percentage of whites in Indiana (86.8 percent) to the United States as a whole (75.6 percent). \nThus, if the University wishes to increase diversity, it must actively recruit students from beyond state borders. Compared to the United States, Indiana offers a limited pool of diverse applicants. If all we have in Indiana is corn, it's clear the climate won't support oranges. Simple logic tells us we're not going to get diversity from a non-diverse environment. \nFurthermore, race numbers alone can't illustrate the depth of diversity. \nThus, it is instructive to look back. Historical perspective allows us to better see how American society has progressed or, in some key respects, regressed in recent years. \nAbraham Lincoln maintained the belief that we could treat all humans equally because they are part of "the whole great family of man." Do we stand by these words today? It doesn't seem so with 10.3-percent minority enrollment. \nDespite these facts, or perhaps in spite of them, the University has, time and again, conveyed its intent to boost minority enrollment. Their efforts, primarily limited to the state of Indiana, have proven futile.\nThere is another message, delivered 42 years ago by Martin Luther King Jr., that should also be brought into the debate. "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." \nWe ask: What does racial diversity for the sake of racial diversity bring? If it is merely a numerical issue in an attempt to raise the percentage of minorities on campus, it can only serve to reinforce the concept that race trumps identity. The practice replaces the highest end of life (character) with the most basic characteristic of human existence (the color of one's skin). \nThe notion that race is the most treasured characteristic of human life should be long buried -- indeed, in a Berlin bunker over 60 years ago. \nUnfortunately, until we can come terms with the complexity of race, we will continue to put stock in the figures that tell us everything about our racial make-ups and little about the content of our character.