By James C. Sherlock
The University of Virginia measures its diversity efforts by statistics. We’ll hold them to their own standards.
That seems only equitable.
President Ryan has said that the demographic composition of students is easy to measure. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office, proving him right, proudly displays a Diversity Dashboard.
All eyes, including their own, go to race.
But we’ll look at sex. And we’ll remember the requirements of Title IX of the 1972 Federal Education Amendments.
“no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
It is demonstrable statistically that males are woefully underrepresented in the undergraduate population of the University of Virginia at rates inexplicable by chance.
We will examine as potential root causes the skewed demographics of:
- the undergraduate student population on the one hand; and
- the Undergraduate Admissions Office and Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights on the other.
And then we will see if we can identify any other potential causes of those discrepancies.
It won’t go well.