Diversity can be more important than merit or scholarship to some colleges, judging from a recent article in The College Fix. People applying to be a surgical oncologist at the University of California at Davis don’t have to submit statements about their research or teaching, but they must submit a “Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”
“Contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants,” notes the University’s advertisement for an “academic surgical oncologist/breast surgeon” in UC Davis’s surgery department.
The institution’s rules require all faculty applicants to provide “a statement about their past, present, and future contributions to promoting equity,
Although a DEI statement is required, a “Statement of Teaching” and “Statement of Research” both are listed as optional under the job application instructions, notes The College Fix.
A former medical college administrator criticized the requirement. “The key to being a good surgical oncologist is having vast knowledge about how to treat cancer,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the nonprofit group Do No Harm. “That and a strong ethical sense should be the only requirements. A surgical oncologist’s political ideas are irrelevant to his or her ability to treat patients.”
“There is no evidence that DEI adherence does anything to improve medical care,” notes Dr. Goldfarb. “There is a great deal of concern that adherence to DEI lead to divisiveness and mistrust on the part of patients.”
A former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education for Higher Education Programs believes the requirement may constitute viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. “It is already a mistake and likely First Amendment violation for UC Davis to have mandatory diversity statements for faculty and staff applicants,” says Adam Kissel, who is now a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. “It’s even more of a mistake to hire a worse surgeon over a better one because of what’s in a diversity statement.”
“Patients are being harmed by scaring them into thinking that there is systemic racism in healthcare. This mistaken ideology leads some patients to avoid needed care. DEI in medicine probably costs many black lives,” Kissel says.
“Patients should seek providers whose priority is to save lives rather than engage in social engineering,” Kissel said, a stance echoed by Dr. Goldfarb.
Other universities have adopted DEI requirements for cancer care. San Diego State University’s job listing for a cancer biologist also required a DEI statement, as City Journal noted.
Goldfarb argues that DEI can “lead to divisiveness and distress on the part of patients of their physicians, then medical care will suffer. Also, if adherence to DEI means that less capable individuals are recruited, medical care will suffer.”
A magistrate judge has recommended that a court strike down diversity/equity/inclusion requirements for professors’ teaching and publications as a violation of the First Amendment, in a lawsuit against a California community college.
Meanwhile, a professor is suing Arizona State University over its mandatory diversity training.
Faculty are not the only people being subjected to ideologically-driven training. Other colleges are students to take ideologically-driven classes. Northern Arizona University now requires students to take four diversity courses to graduate, all rooted in left-wing “critical theory.
