Message from the diversity office...

Starting my sophomore year of high school, I got letter after letter from x college and y university each telling me that they had the prettiest campus or the smallest class sizes. I never paid them any mind since they all embodied exactly what I didn't want in a university.

But now the selfless marketing has begun again, only this time it's from schools I've actually heard of pushing their "world class" graduate programs on me via e-mail. And while the messages are irritating, there's one thing about them that has really struck a nerve. Now I'm not one to delude myself into thinking they're sending me messages because they actually think I would be a good student at their school. No, my address was just one of the couple thousand that was randomly selected from their list, right?

Well, not exactly. Apparently, the only reason these schools are showing any interest in me whatsoever is because of something I can't even control. Most of these e-mails, they've been coming from the "Office of Minority Programs," or some other diversity initiative. Say what you want about affirmative action and diversity and whatever, but not only do I find this irritating, it's patronizing.

Why is it that we still need to be doing things like this? Why do universities have to set up special visitation events and campus tours and information sessions for minority students or "students of color," a description I personally detest. What, is white not a color too? Don't tell me you're willing to give me special attention just because my skin is a little darker than yours. You might think you're giving me an "opportunity," but all it tells me is that you think my intelligence and my accomplishments aren't enough. Thanks, but I'd much rather be thrown into the pool with everyone else and be judged solely on my merits. Don't give me something unless I've completely and truly earned it. And being born an Indian doesn't count as earning anything.

I know I may be overreacting slightly, but it bothers me how we sometimes focus so much on things we can't even control. If we have to focus on something, it should be the socioeconomic gap. If you want to give someone a free trip to visit your school, give it to the person who may not otherwise be able to afford it. If you want to talk to someone about grad school, talk to the person who had to work their way through undergrad. Then again, who knows, maybe someone in that situation would find even that patronizing, just as I find this.

As much as I hate to admit it, I know it's there. It almost seems like it sucks to be a white male nowadays because everyone is so hell-bent on being diverse. I know, people say that white males have had their fair share of the spotlight and now its everyone else's turn. But now that we've established that everyone deserves an equal and fair chance, shouldn't we focus on hiring the best person for the job, or admitting the best students to the university, regardless of demographics?