Letter to Editor by Bennett Jerrow

Yesterday’s article about the sensational new “diversity major” was iconic of the weightlessness of this modern buzzword. Diversity! How can anyone argue with that? I think most of us place an intrinsic value on broadening our horizons and trying to experience as many things as possible.

But how can a university “help” us to do this? As the editorial put it “diversity became a priority for UK, [while] the definition never became clear.” But if this is so, how can we claim “…UK still has a long road ahead of them when it comes to creating a truly diverse campus…”

I’m a bit confused. We’ve hired a “diversity expert” to make sure we push along this indefinable, yet assumed positive concept, all while claiming that somehow, there isn’t quite enough of it yet. Isn’t diversity technically at its peak already? I’ve never met two people at UK who’ve systematically shared the same opinions, birthplace, looks, and aspirations etc. And I’d think it impossible to do so.

Everyone is already diverse from everyone else. I think what J.J. Jackson, VP for institutional diversity, really means is visible diversity. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived in Senegal, have two moms and can secretly speak five languages. What really matters is if you stand out from the crowd based on how you look. So there’s today’s fill of irony: the discrimination of diversity, in advocating diversity. Congrats J.J. Jackson!

Bennett Jerrow

Economics and International Studies

Senior