Colleges and universities pride themselves on being havens of diversity where the best and brightest of every race, creed, and color come together to teach, study, and conduct research. However, as any non-P.C. academic is apt already to have learned in painful ways, this commitment to diversity is generally skin-deep. On most campuses, diversity of thought is as hard to find as a D student at Harvard. Remarks Alan Kors of the University of Pennsylvania, "One is desperate to see people of independent mind willing to enter the academic world. On the other hand, it is simply the case they will be entering hostile and discriminatory territory." According to Princeton's Robert George, nowadays he tells doctoral students who share his non-leftist political perspective that they will "run into intense discrimination" in the academic job hunt and, if they actually land a tenure track job, will "run into even more intense discrimination because the establishment gets more concerned the closer you get to the golden ring." The result? "Faculties skew overwhelmingly to the left. Students often have no contact with adult conservatives, and many develop cartoonish impressions of how 40 percent of the country thinks." Although, the eager young conservative looking to pass the diversity test could always read Peter Woods recent National Review Online column for tips on how to write a "diversity essay."
"Lonely campus voices," by David Brooks, New York Times, September 27, 2003
"Imaginary friends: How to write a diversity essay," by Peter Woods, National Review Online, October 1, 2003