This morning the Chronicle of Higher Education reports:
College-enrollment gains among female and minority students have not slowed and are likely to continue, according to an annual compendium of education statistics released on Thursday by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
Since 1970, women’s undergraduate enrollment has increased more than three times as fast as men’s, according to the report, “The Condition of Education 2007,” and women are projected to continue to outpace men through 2016, at which point women are expected to make up 60 percent of total undergraduate enrollment.
If this keeps up more colleges will have to create “Men’s Studies” departments, revive “dean of men” positions where they’ve been folded into “dean of students” offices, institute “outreach,” perhaps even institute preference policies, and in general do whatever else is necessary to make their campuses more “welcoming” and “inclusive” for the dwindling “critical mass” of white men.
I used to answer the inevitable question of, “well how come we can’t have White History Month and White Studies and White Entertainment Television” with the simple statement that these things already exist. Most of the history and studies and entertainment we receive is for and about white people.
But over the last several weeks I have seriously considered the idea of White Studies and I think it is a good idea. White people will be a minority in this country relatively soon and one could argue taht there is such a thing as “white culture” (particularly in professional offices).
Also there are instances of reverse racism (no, not the kinds of issues this site is dedicated to), as we saw in the Duke rape case. Scenarios like the Duke Rape case lead me to ask, “why don’t I feel sympathy for those kids?” “Why have I always hated Duke basketball?” (That may be animosity toward repeat champions that I’ve also felt for the 49ers, Bulls, and Yankees, but I digress) “Why do I feel repelled by certain elements of so-called white culture?”
I think white American culture is worth studying, and the class, of course should be taught by a Black person. . . Just kidding.
Also, while John suggests glibbly that campuses will need to do whatever is necessary for the dwindling critical mass of white men. I don’t disagree with that comment. I think certain fields like nursing would greatly benefit from more diversity of gender and race.