The last time I heard then Middlebury College President Laurie Patton speak, she was extolling “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” as primary goals for the College. Good for her! Since that date “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” has degenerated into the dreaded “DEI.” To the Trump Administration DEI is subversive of American values and corrupting to innocent undergraduates.

“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” is subversive? Not at all — it is a cherished American reality learned — imperfectly — over 250 years. The nation fought a civil war to declare black slaves could be citizens. Waves of migrants in the 19th century changed the ethnic and religious range of the citizenry. Shucks, we even learned to live with the Irish (see signature below).

“DEI” is merely a code name for what the Trump administration most seeks to eliminate from colleges and universities. And what is that vice? It is proclaimed in Harvard’s official seal: Veritas. In contrast to veritas/truth as a guiding principle, no previous American president has been so dedicated and so long demonstrated his affection for lies, fakery and wall-to-wall untruth. Because higher education has no higher goal than veritas, it is fundamentally opposed to Trump’s agenda.

Proclaiming Truth as the institutional goal doesn’t mean academic culture always hits the mark. Far from it. But it is the struggle, the argument, the dialogue and contention that honors the transcendence of truth. A faculty member publishes a claim and someone else will surely make a counter claim. (Personal experience.) You would think from Trumpian rhetoric that college faculties march in step like members of the Comintern.

When I came to Middlebury College in 1964 as a faculty member and dean, the student population was not diverse by current standards. (My very first day as Dean I did pick up a Japanese freshman arriving at Port Henry.) There were few students of color, but equity and inclusion were alive. Middlebury sororities and fraternities had recently broken with their national organizations when forbidden to pledge black students. President Patton was not inventing “diversity, equity and inclusion” at Middlebury.

 

Dennis O’Brien

Middlebury