“Diversity” As Representation, As Appearance

If you’re keeping score, and even if you’re not, you may be interested to learn that Racine, Wisconsin, “has yet to hire its first Hispanic female [police] officer.” It tried, but “[a]ll five Hispanic women who applied in 2010 failed the agility course.”

““We don’t represent the community but we’re trying,” Racine police chief Kurt Wahlen told the members of the city’s affirmative action commission.

Perhaps Racine should follow the example suggested several years ago by John R. Brown, the Deputy Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, to combat the “underrepresentation” of Hispanics in that organization, which I discussed in Must Police Be Representative? Whom Do They Represent? “To find Latino applicants, Brown said, he may send recruiters to Puerto Rico as other departments have done.” Such a move, I commented then and repeat now, “would go a long way toward making the Pennsylvania State Police more representative … of Puerto Rico.”

Interestingly, such recruitment would also make the Pennsylvania State Police more “diverse” than would merely rounding up another recruit with an Hispanic surname from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, but we all know that the practice of “diversity” is all about the appearance — it is, after all, only skin deep, revolving as it does around pigmentation — rather than the reality of diversity.

And speaking of pigmentation and Hispanic surnames, let me call your attention once again to Rebeca C. Rufty, an associate dean at North Carolina State University, whom I discussed in my post immediately below (Graduate School Administrators Unwittingly Parody Themselves). Dean Rufty, you will recall, introduced herself during a discussion session among graduate school administrators on diversity and admissions practices “as being Hispanic with a deceptive last name” and a “pale skin.” It thus occurred to me, as I suspect it has occurred (or will occur) to others, what a poor choice she would be for an institution striving to meet its “diversity” quota goals.

Say What?