Lawmakers question whether diversity offices should be promoting cultural diversity versus safe spaces

Pat Powers

The Argus Leader has a story today regarding lawmakers questioning the South Dakota Board of Regents over the types of diversity that state university diversity offices are promoting, and whether their efforts are better spent promoting educational experiences versus safe spaces:

“While beneficial programs for Native American students, and students of other diverse cultures should be preserved, the build-up of diversity offices which are used to promote social justice causes associated with the political left such as safe zone training, the biannual drag show, and social justice training, to name just a few, should be dismantled,” the lawmakers write.

and..

Rep. Sue Peterson, a sponsor of the intellectual diversity bill and one of the lawmakers who signed the letter, said diversity offices appear to be promoting ideology. Meanwhile, Native Americans, the state’s largest minority group, are struggling to graduate.

“Whatever they’re spending on the diversity offices, it isn’t making a very good impact,” said Peterson, a Sioux Falls Republican.

Read the entire story here.

If diversity offices are struggling with promoting diversity in enrollment among racial and socio-economic lines.. is it acceptable to focus so much on things such as ‘social justice training?’

That might be a tough one for Regents to answer.

(Of course, they could just tell legislators they don’t have programs like that….)

31 thoughts on “Lawmakers question whether diversity offices should be promoting cultural diversity versus safe spaces”

  1. These “diversity” offices only exist to promote left-wing ideology on campus and silence any dissent. They should absolutely be abolished. Can’t believe we spend millions in taxpayer money on this garbage

  3. This will be another excellent recruiting tool for tech schools and universities outside of South Dakota. Those states that for example keep these diversity offices on their campuses have a more inclusive atmosphere and post graduation have a higher chance of retaining that graduate for that state’s economy.

    1. You’re not totally wrong. If SD’s schools limit Marxist dogma, then extreme left colleges and universities, e.g. Oberlin, Bryn Mawr, or Sarah Lawrence, gain a recruiting tool. So armed, these schools may tempt a larger set of liberal South Dakotans — students and parents inclined toward progressive views — away from our state. I agree. It’s sad to lose these kids, many of whom mature into solid citizens, productive professionals, and good neighbors. Luckily, the changes Sue Peterson recommends will help our colleges retain smart students seeking intellectual diversity. These ideas will attract gifted applicants away from other states. The recent, rapid growth of little-known conservative colleges proves the existence of an underserved market. Naturally, dogmatic haters — self-righteous folks who label conservatives “deplorable” morons — can’t see the potential gain. But when SD adds 1000 talented doctors and 1000 capable engineers, that’s good — even if most vote Republican. We can chase California, or we can become an alternative.

      1. Marxist dogma? Aside from the Daily Caller, Breitbart News do you even know what that means? Just curious. Would you consider Germany a communist/Marxis country? Hey! Come on! South Dakota Universities are conservative compared to other states and not even close to the really liberal state universities. My macro-economics professor here in SD was a Libertarian and promoted Reaganomics, Plenty of my profs were fiscal Conservatives.

        Liberal takeover at South Dakota universities would include a feminist liberal editor of the campus newspaper? A campus LGBT club?

        Plenty of bigger fish to fry out there in South Dakota yet Culture Wars continue. Why not tackle the tough real issues in South Dakota and donate to a private religious college of their choice if they have their own vision of what education should be?

        1. “Marxist dogma? do you even know what that means? Just curious.”

          Likely your worldview is more deeply Marxist than mine. I can’t dispute the assertion. Nevertheless, I’ve cobbled together a basic familiarity with Marx, his precepts, and their development. I’ve read Das Kapital as well as The Communist Manifesto. I have a old photo of myself in Karl Marx Platz (located in what was then East Berlin). More importantly, I’m conversant in the writings of Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci, who applied Marxism to culture. Gramsci advocated the “long march through the institutions,” e.g. film, media, and especially education. Gramsci called cultural change vital to capitalism’s eventual destruction; he endorsed Vladimir Lenin’s “maximalist” politics. Likewise, I’m familiar with self-proclaimed Marxist Joseph Buttigieg, father of Progressive Democratic-Socialist Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who wrote: “Gender equity, environmental consciousness, and racial justice are the main ingredients of a healthy Marxism.” The elder Buttigieg was one of the world’s most fervent Gramsci scholars. Joe Buttigieg led a group of leftist professors — proud Marxists whose explicit goal was injecting cultural Marxism into the public consciousness.

          “Would you consider Germany a communist/Marxis country?”

          Based on my time in Europe, I do not consider Germany a communist country, although I met several committed Marxists there, angry men and women who blame “Western Capitalism” for the wide world’s ills. East Germany (the DDR) was a socialist/ Marxist country. That’s why it failed.

          1. Of course East Germany was a failure. Remember the Trabant?

            I’m talking about West Germany which is now a unified Germany. There will be old Marxist holdovers from that failed system but I’m talking about our NATO ally and an export economy for such a geographically small country it does quite well. Germany’s citizens pay higher taxes so they get certain benefits. Nothing is free. It certainly is not Marxism.

            1. I recall the awful Trabby, and I agree the Federal Republic of Germany is not Communist. Deutschland remains a decent place to live. I’m not enamored with Frau Merkel, however.

              2018 Per Capita GDP

              USA 62,606
              Germany 52,559

              2017 Per Capita GDP

              USA 59,552
              Germany 50,715

              I’m neither an anti-tax extremist nor an anarchist. We need a military. We need police. We need law courts. We need the CDC, and we need a secure border. But taxes retard economic growth. Taxes are thus a necessary evil — something we should reduce or avoid if we can.

    2. Or we could just focus on recruiting and educating the best and the brightest students instead of worrying about some glorified affirmative action programs.

  4. Millions are squandered paying left-wingers to indoctrinate our kids. These dumb PC offices should be killed immediately. How does the BOR allow this to go on? Who is in charge of this stuff? Seems like gross incompetence

  5. how is creating “safe spaces” and forcing kids to go to drag queen balls helping them become better workers?

    it’s not, it’s a Big Lie by the left to dupe morons like the Regents into giving them millions

  6. This at least is legitimate and will have a positive affect. The other “diversity” bill actually will entrench and protect the liberal professors in the classroom.

    1. Troy,

      This is literally a direct result of the Campus Free Speech bill they passed. And its being followed through on by the same legislators you’ve spent the last 5 months attacking.

      1. FALSE. To the extent it is a “direct result,” Representative Peterson came to the realization that bill was not going to have any effect and she decided to do something signficant.

        Nothing Representative Peterson is doing could not have been done through the Appropriations process and the power of the purse. Further, using the oversight and power of the purse powers of the legislature are infinitely more effective than asking the foxes to prepare a report on themselves. By the time the Legislature meets and tries to do something, the report is old news.

        You want change: Power of the purse and a change of personnel (personnel is policy). Anything else, you are being duped.

        Final comment: I’m not a sychophant to anyone. I’ll criticize and I’ll give credit where credit is due. That insignificant head fake of a “campus diversity bill” will not change a thing (but delude people into thinking something was done). Defunding/terminating/reforming these “diversity” offices is a VERY good start to making a difference.

    1. How can something like this be required?? Completely wrong. It’s indoctrination.

    2. Yep, it is most definitely indoctrination. And with the passage of the “free speech” bill, it is now harder to terminate such classroom stunts because professor’s classroom has become more protected than before. Because most of the professors are idealogical progressives, their propaganda has MORE protection than it had before this bill.

        1. First, I pointed it out from the beginning. Second, it is fundamental because it is a “free speech bill.”

          The bill is a disaster both short and long-term, favors liberals, and the sponsors have duped you into thinking they did something to serve the conservative cause.

  8. I’ll admit I’m ignorant, does this bill still require students to take extra credits of american history and a citizenship test?

  9. WTF

    Last Wednesday the Multicultural Center hosted the annual Tunnel of Oppression exhibit with help from five student organizations at South Dakota State University.

    The five organizations involved were: Feminist Equality Movement, Latin American Student Association, Black Student Alliance, Residential Life and American Indian Student Center.

    The Tunnel of Oppression is an interactive exhibit that brings attention to the different issues of oppression in society today, such as the lack of equal pay between men and women, discrimination and racism.

    Program adviser for African American Programs Kas Williams has been organizing the national event at SDSU since it began more than four years go.

    1. They are nation wide whether you go to a Christian college, liberal arts college or any university in general. Another waste of time.

    1. Troy, your continuing critique is serious, and very good. But unintended protection for liberal hogwash aside, this does open the door to a more substantive range of conservative thought and teaching, doesn’t it? Better ideas, if given a fair hearing on campus — space to breathe and grow and unfold, if you will — they’ll have their own attractive force. Sure, it’s true that peddlers of liberal doctrinaire nonsense will have protection. But isn’t it also true that when the human mind and spirit has a choice between rotting spam and a prime cut of fresh beef, we’re more naturally attracted to eat what’s good? The truth is like a lion — just let it loose, and it’ll take care of itself. (That said, I agree that the foxes will need lots of supervision in how they report on the henhouse. I further agree that the purse and personnel choices must be part of a plan for ongoing accountability.) Also, for what it’s worth: read Mark Bauerlein’s comments at pp28-31 of the report — excellent.

  11. Good God Mole. Those “diversity reports” are totally nuts. Thanks for pointing out how much money we’re flushing down the toilet.

  12. Regents are trying to manipulate the witness list for this hearing. They’ll be exposed and lose even more ground in the legislature

    1. Yes! That will help with College Professor recruitment. They hate tenure and prefer to go to Universities that do not have it.

  15. Doing something stupid and gives greater protection to liberal professors is worse than doing nothing. It is especially egregious when the intent was to dupe you into think they did something positive.

    In the presence of morons, I think it best to just get them to do nothing. If they aren’t morons, they are blatantly dishonest.

    That said, it is my position this will not get better until personnel changes (personnel is policy) and the focus of the replacement personnel is to improve the product coming out of our higher education institutions vs. political correctness/idealogical indoctrination.

    Further, bait and switch legislation like that POS passed last year gives the impression of doing something and detracts from the focus of doing something meaningful because the people in the streets trust these people to do something and believe something has been done.

    The betrayal of trust is on par with their stupidity and dishonesty. Higher education is just too important to our future to use it as a political pawn.

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