iAs if landing a college teaching position wasn’t already difficult enough, the powers-that-be have placed another obstacle in job-seekers’ path: the so-called “Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” better known as the “diversity statement” or “DEI statement.” Many (most?) institutions now require such a document as part of the application packet along with the traditional CV, cover letter, and transcripts.
As a long-time advice columnist for The Chronicle of Higher Education, I frequently hear from academics on the job market. Lately, I’ve been getting emails asking how to write a diversity statement. I fear I’m not much help in that department, partly because I haven’t had any firsthand experience writing such statements but mostly because I find the whole concept not only absurd but incredibly toxic.
Still, I do what I can. I realize this is a hoop academic job-seekers must jump through, whether they agree with the premise or not (and I suspect, from the tone of their emails, that many find it just as objectionable as I do). So I direct them to articles in The Chronicle and elsewhere with titles like “Five Don’ts in Your DEI Statement” and “What Not to Write in Your DEI Statement.”
What is perhaps most striking about these essays and others like them is the focus on what applicants should NOT say. This illustrates perfectly the fundamental problem with diversity statements: Their purpose is to prove a negative—namely, that the writer is not a bigot—apparently by demonstrating to the committee’s satisfaction that he or she has whole-heartedly embraced the DEI agenda.