Recently, Abigail Thompson, a Vice President of the AMS and Professor at UC Davis, wrote a short opinion piece coming out against the use of diversity statements in hiring. As I read her piece, I found myself troubled by some of the assertions and decided to do a bit of research to confirm my suspicions.<\/p>\n
Before I dive into the gist of Professor Thompson\u2019s argument, I think it is important to reiterate why diversity matters in mathematics. Here, I risk making Professor Thompson into a strawman; she\u2019s not asserting diversity in mathematics is unwelcome, just that diversity statements should be removed from hiring. But humor me so I can climb on this soapbox.<\/p>\n
First, creating a more equitable society and correcting past injustices that have disadvantaged underrepresented minorities is the most obvious reason diversity should matter. Of course, I have heard the rebuttal, \u201cYes, but why is it a responsibility of mathematicians to facilitate this change in our field?\u201d Well, mathematicians have the power to enact substantial change by incorporating diversity initiatives into hiring, extracurricular programs, and candid reassessments of the academic climate. Sure, mathematicians may not cause systemic change in society at large, but undoubtedly academics have the power to influence climate and advocate for their values at their own universities.<\/p>\n
More selfishly, collaborative environments benefit from diversity. A Tufts study on collaboration efforts of mock jurors found that diverse groups \u201cdeliberated longer, raised more facts about the case, and conducted broader deliberations\u201d (6). While the Tufts study focused only on racial diversity, it is emblematic of a larger trend in social psychology which has demonstrated positive effects of diversity in a variety of collaborative environments (7). Crucially, mathematics is more collaborative now than it has ever been and, unfortunately, is not much more diverse (5). Through this lens, if we care about the advancement of our field, we should value diversity for its practical use in addition to its moral imperative.<\/p>\n
Now, to the substance of Professor Thompson\u2019s argument:<\/p>\n
One of Thompson\u2019s major planks is that a diversity statement is \u201ca political test with teeth.\u201d Thompson likens diversity statements to McCarthy-era loyalty oaths (back in the 1950s, the UC system forced faculty to sign pledges that they were loyal to America and not the Communist party, infamously firing those who refused to comply). Gently put, this is an odd comparison. Even if we accept Thompson\u2019s claim that diversity statements are \u201cpolitical,\u201d they hardly seem comparable to McCarthy-era extremism with respect to harm and disruptiveness. People didn’t sign the loyalty oath, likely because it aimed to exclude, isolate, or punish individuals for their political beliefs. A diversity statement\u2019s entire purpose is to include historically excluded, silenced, or isolated minorities and allow them space in the academic community.<\/p>\n
Moreover, is assessing whether job candidates treat people as individuals really a political statement as Thompson asserts? A person\u2019s background influences the way they interact with most things–the classroom is no exception. Consider a student who can\u2019t afford school supplies. Likely, that student will encounter challenges many others won\u2019t: working a job outside class, distracting financial concerns, or even how to take notes each day. I\u2019m not arguing that the instructor should give preferential treatment to this student; just that an inclusive instructor should strive to work with each student to help them realize their academic goals, being sensitive to the backgrounds different students bring into the classroom.<\/p>\n
Studies also support the notion that individual identity influences performance in the classroom. For instance, two different studies (one conducted in Florida, one in Tennessee) found that having a teacher of the same race contributed positively to academic success (1, 2). Other studies reiterate that representation matters and that even math classrooms aren\u2019t immune from the effect one\u2019s background brings. For instance, a University of Massachusetts Amherst study found that \u201cincreasing the visibility of female scientists, engineers and mathematicians […] profoundly benefits [young women\u2019s] self perception in STEM\u201d (8).<\/p>\n
While I agree with Thompson that treating people as individuals is an assertion of how society \u201cought to be organized,\u201d I believe characterizing this sentiment as \u201cpolitical\u201d misconstrues the meaning by associating it with partisan politics.<\/p>\n
All of this is to say: it\u2019s not political to treat people as individuals. It\u2019s human and it\u2019s logical.<\/p>\n
Then, Professor Thompson criticizes the fact that \u201cthe diversity \u2018score\u2019 is becoming central in the hiring process.\u201d Thompson\u2019s language implies that other factors like caliber of research take a backseat to diversity which, when looking at the faculty of any R1 University, seems misleading. The New York Times rebutts this point best:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ethos [of mathematics] is characterized as meritocracy [and] is often wielded as a seemingly unassailable excuse for screening out promising minority job candidates who lack a name-brand alma mater or an illustrious mentor. Hiring committees that reflect the mostly white and Asian makeup of most math departments say they are compelled to \u201cchoose the \u2018best\u2019\u201d […] even though there\u2019s no guideline about what \u2018best\u2019 is.\u201d<\/p>\n
To paraphrase, hiring committees are just like the rest of us: subject to implicit bias. Certainly, the diversity statement plays a crucial role in patching \u201cthe leaky pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moreover, the diversity statement also communicates to underrepresented minorities that a math program cares about creating an inclusive research community. The University of Michigan recently conducted a study on academic attrition and found that, for underrepresented minorities, academic climate was a major factor in their decision to leave (4). In other words, stressing a department\u2019s belief in the value of diversity helps positively shape department norms and combat attrition. The same Times article wrote about Edray Goins, a black mathematician who left a \u201cbetter\u201d position in a hostile academic environment for a department which emphasized inclusivity (3). Fortunately, Professor Goins chose to remain in academia, but his story is the exception, not the rule.<\/p>\n
To her credit, Thompson ends by asserting that \u201cmathematics must be open and welcoming to everyone, to those who have traditionally been excluded, and to those holding unpopular viewpoints.\u201d Unfortunately, the substance of her previous argument makes these words feel empty.<\/p>\n
If we truly care about increasing diverse representation in mathematics, we should pursue every available avenue. Diversity statements are only one piece of the puzzle, but they are important nonetheless.<\/p>\n
1. Long Run Impacts of Same Race Teachers<\/a> <\/p>\n Disclaimer<\/em>: The opinions expressed on this blog are the views of the writer(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the American Mathematical Society.<\/p>\n Comments Guidelines<\/em>: The AMS encourages your comments, and hopes you will join the discussions. We review comments before they are posted, and those that are offensive, abusive, off-topic or promoting a commercial product, person or website will not be posted. Expressing disagreement is fine, but mutual respect is required.<\/p>\n
\n2. Representation in the classroom: the effect of own race teachers on student achievement<\/a>
\n3. For a black mathematician, what it\u2019s like to be the only one<\/a>
\n4. Exit Interview Study: Executive Summary, University of Michigan<\/a>
\n5. Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering<\/a>
\n6. Racial diversity improves group decision making in unexpected ways<\/a>
\n7. More sources on the value of diversity in performance<\/a>
\n8. Female Scientists Act like a Social Vaccine to Protect Young Women\u2019s Interest and Motivation in the Sciences, UMass Amherst Study Shows<\/a><\/p>\n