To the Editor:
Regarding "Dartmouth's Diversity Obsession" (Nov. 2), I certainly respect the author's opinion, and as a woman and person of color, I am proud that there is a significant amount of community-wide discourse devoted to the diversity "issue."
However, I find fault with a number of the arguments. First, Baron may want to consider broadening his definition of diversity, as it is mentioned in a rather limited framework. Diversity is not only applicable within a racial and gender-based context, as is incorrectly conveyed. There are various manifestations of diversity: it also extends to ethnicity and socio-economic class, and can even be geographically based, just to mention a few alternatives. These variables can, and often do, exist independently from race and gender. Additionally, I do not understand the basis for his assertion that minorities are "arguably" favored in the admissions process. This is a stereotypical misconception that I find to be particularly unjust. We have little insight as to what truly constitutes the admissions process, and subsequently, I think it is unfair to make such overarching and insensitive generalizations. It is problematic that Baron fails to cite any evidence to support this claim, though it really seemed to have little relevance to his initial argument.
Furthermore, to say that Dartmouth is "obsessed" with diversity would be a misstatement. I find Dartmouth's efforts at inclusion to be quite laudable and respect the fact that the Administration is taking a stance. Though there are varying opinions on the nature of the outreach, if there were no significant attention devoted to this matter, there should be reason for concern. Perhaps a more critical, contextualized and deliberate analysis of this topic is due.
