Most State Schools in Alabama Make Professors Write Statements Supporting "Equity"
Either administrators don't understand how the word is defined by the DEI movement, or they agree with the radical policies that it covers
The words “equality” and “equity” don't mean the same thing within the context of the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” movement that is sweeping through our society’s institutions.
Equality generally means equality of opportunity — our nation’s founding ideal that was finally enshrined in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It’s the law.
Equity, however, means equality of outcome — an ideal that’s entirely politically debatable, and depending upon exactly how its implemented, often runs contrary to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Disagreeing with the policies, rules, and regulations that may flow from such an idea is entirely reasonable … and certainly not racist.
But that hasn't stopped most state-funded public universities in Alabama from now requiring applicants for teaching positions to submit written statements showing how they will support “equity” in the classroom.
A review of job advertisements from each of Alabama’s 12 four-year public universities found only four that didn’t have some sort of required “equity” statement or commitment placed on potential professors.
A full review is below, but here are three quick examples:
Auburn University is seeking a geography professor, but candidates must submit a “statement of values” about their “understanding and commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity.”
The University of Alabama in Huntsville has an advertisement for a music professor who will support the department’s “commitment to equity,” and requires candidates to “submit a 1-page statement of past or future contributions to equity, inclusivity, and diversity in research, teaching, and/or service.”
And while not requiring an official statement, the University of South Alabama’s medical school requires applicants who’ll teach both gastroenterology and cardiology to have a “demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“Equity” requirements are also sprinkled across job advertisements at the University of Alabama, University of North Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama A&M, and the University of Montevallo. The ability to demonstrate an appropriate level of commitment to “equity” is now a requirement to teach everything from nursing to psychology to forestry and even French.
Equity, it seems, is equally everywhere … but it’s not being equally confronted.
Universities across Texas, for instance, have paused or ended similar ideological equity-based litmus tests, including the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and the University of Houston.
The board of the University of North Carolina also cancelled its requirement for such statements, saying in part that the school:
“shall neither solicit nor require an employee or applicant for academic admission or employment to affirmatively ascribe to or opine about beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles regarding matters of contemporary political debate or social action as a condition to admission, employment, or professional advancement."
To be fair, I don't think many college presidents and administrators in Alabama actually know how the word “equity” is being used. They might think it’s the new, hip, Gen Z way of talking about equality, so they’re using it everywhere possible.
“Diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice are important values at Auburn University,” reads a statement from the school’s webpage.
To paraphrase the great sword fighter Inigo Montoya … they keep using that word. I do not think it means what they think it means.
I don’t blame them, though. Equity, within the current context, entered our language only a few years ago, and most folks haven’t yet caught on to how it’s being used. Not even one of the most progressive political leaders in the nation, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Here he is on Bill Maher’s HBO program recently:
Maher: “How would you differentiate between equity and equality?”
Sanders: “Well, equality … we talk about … uh … I don’t know what the answer to that is. Come to think of it, you know, equality is equality of opportunity.”
Maher: “Equity is more a guarantee of outcome. Is it not?”
Sanders: “Yeah, I think so.”
Maher: “So, which side do you come down on?”
Sanders: “Umm … equality.”
When a guy like Bernie Sanders isn’t progressive enough for your left-leaning faculty lounge, you’ve gone way too far.
Here’s a simple way of looking at the difference:
Equality: Students get access to the same resources and opportunities (same textbook, same teacher, same time in class, etc.) before taking a test, and then each is graded against the same standard. Some pass. Some fail.
Equity: Something is done so that everyone passes, especially those who the school views as disadvantaged.
The same sort of example can be applied across our society, from hiring to promotions to school admissions and even financial loan qualifications.
A person can, in good faith, believe that equity is good public policy, especially since not everyone starts from the same place in life, with the same resources, talents, and abilities. Some people are born on third base and think they hit a triple, as they say, and it’s just not fair.
A person can also, in good faith, believe that equity is bad public policy, especially since it often has the tendency to pull down high-standards rather than lift up low-performers. There will always be inequality in terms of effort, and when rewards for extra effort are flattened, excellence is disincentivized, and, in practice, everyone eventually becomes equally mediocre. History has given us many horrible examples of this.
“Equity” is a polarizing political word, and in this context could signal one’s personal policy preferences on a hotly debated issue, same as the political phrases “universal healthcare” and “gun control.”
Can you imagine an employer not only asking for your opinion on those political issues, but requiring you to take a certain position … and in writing?
In Defense
The idea behind equity-based policies is easy enough to understand — treating people with unequal resources equally means that you will, in practice, treat the one with lesser resources somewhat unfairly.
If two runners are competing in the 400-meter, and one runner has on a pair of expensive track shoes while the other is bare footed and carrying a backpack full of heavy stones, the race is likely over before it begins. That’s the way some people view how the cards are dealt in life, and it aggravates their sense of fairness and justice.
But with equity — maybe the shoeless, burdened runner gets to start the race from the 100-meter mark instead. This way, he at least has a fighting chance against the runner who was more fortunate than he.
Even a child understands that treating these runners equally isn’t fair, and that’s the problem the equity movement has with traditional equality. As long as those stark imbalances exists — in education, in healthcare, in home life — we can never really treat people equally without somehow also treating them unfairly. Specific actions need to be taken to move that person up, they say, and thus change the direction of their family story.
This is a laudable goal, and many of those who support it do so out of a sense of fairness and justice.
The result they are seeking is, in essence, the final chapter of the American Dream.
And the argument would almost have me.
Almost.
If the criteria wasn’t just the color of someone’s skin, because when I look out and see communities that are struggling, that are locked in generational cycles of poverty, addiction, and abuse that causes children to start their lives from a disadvantaged position, I see all colors, all cultures, and all creeds.
I see people.
And beyond that, I also see an inequality of effort in a few cases. I see justice and fairness in those results, too, both for those who work hard and make good, disciplined decisions and reap the just rewards, and those who don’t, and who hopefully learn something from the experience.
Even so, while you and I can personally agree to look favorably on someone who lacks the resources of another, and we can choose to help them over the other, and we can give grace and breaks when they’re ours to give … the state cannot.
Equal Justice Under Law.
Those words are carved above the doors of the United States Supreme Court in letters as tall as a man, and they represent the foundational principle of how the state interacts with the citizens in our country.
Not Equity Justice.
Equal Justice.
And as we end our pledge, that justice is … for all.
The state cannot pick and choose who is treated equally, and our state universities certainly cannot require their professors to write statements saying they will anyway.
REFERENCES
Below you’ll find a sample of equity-based requirements from several of Alabama’s public universities.
University of Alabama
An advertisement seeking a professor of secondary mathematics stated that candidates are required to have a “demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility in research and teaching.”
And the new dean of the honor’s college must possess “a significant and progressive record of higher education leadership along with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the ability to advance the university’s philosophy and practice relative to DEI.”
Auburn University
A posting for a geography professor told candidates to submit an “Inclusion Statement” that showed their “values as they relate to your understanding and commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity in STEM fields” and their “future plans for continuing to advance inclusive excellence, equity, and diversity in your research, teaching, and service.”
University of South Alabama
Most postings didn’t require any statement or mentioned equity at all. However, the posting for a chief of the gastroenterology and the chief of cardiology at the university’s school of medicine are each required to have a “demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
University of North Alabama
The university posted guidance documents for how applicants for both faculty and staff positions should draft their “Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Statement,” and it posted sample interview questions related to the subject, included these (and one coincidentally strikes at the heart of the confusion over the term “equity”):
Please Share With Us What Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mean to You and Why They’re Important. Diversity, equity, and inclusion have much broader meanings than most people assume. Employers want to know that you not only grasp the true meaning of each term, but that you also find merit in each of these concepts and share a commitment to fostering them in the workplace.
How Would You Advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion With Colleagues Who Don’t Understand its Importance? Unfortunately, there are still some people who do not understand the importance of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your interviewer may ask you this question because such people are present in the organization you’re seeking to join and they want to know how you would respond.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
From a recent advertisement seeking a lecturer in the Department of Music and an assistant professor in clinical or counseling psychology:
“We seek candidates who value inclusiveness and diversity and who will support our commitment to equity. Hence, candidates must submit a 1-page statement of past or future contributions to equity, inclusivity, and diversity in research, teaching, and/or service. You may draw upon your personal as well as professional experience in developing this statement.”
University of Montevallo
A posting for an assistant professor of nursing and instructor for family and consumer sciences both require applicants to have “a substantive commitment and demonstrated contributions towards diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
An advertisement for the assistant professor of educational research goes a step further into activism, adding the the phrase “social justice” into the mix, stating that there looking for a:
“colleague to join departmental efforts in fostering academic excellence and rigorous learning environments, as well as ideas and opportunities related to diversity, equity, inclusivity, and social justice, as highlighted in the value statement of the College.”
That value statement?
“Fostering reflective ideas and opportunities related to diversity, equity, inclusivity, and social justice.”
University of Alabama at Birmingham
While a statement isn’t required, this was listed in the job description of a posting for a professor in the university’s school of education:
“The ability and commitment to address issues of social justice, equity, and diversity through interdisciplinary instruction that cuts across multiple content areas is a priority.”
And this was in a posting for a chair of curriculum and instruction in the school of education:
“Demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity, excellence, and inclusiveness.”
It was even in the posting for a French professor:
“We also strongly encourage applications from individuals who will contribute to diversity and equity in higher education.”
Alabama A&M University
A posting for an assistant professor of forest ecosystems seeks “a candidate committed to diversity, equity and inclusion” in field-based teaching.
And One of the “essential duties and responsibilities” in a posting for a professor of early childhood education was “promoting principles of diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice.”
Interestingly, in the “Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities” section of a posting for a library assistant, was this gem:
“Utilize excellent time management, problem-solving techniques, and effective, equity-centered judgment in complex and sensitive situations.”
What could “equity-centered judgement” be? Sounds like exactly what the entire political concept seeks to achieve — decisions made by people in power that result not in fairness, or justice, but equal outcomes.
Auburn University at Montgomery
While a statement showing one’s commitment to equity policies wasn’t required in any ads they were searched, the school is seeking to hire a “Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer” who would be involved in the hiring of other employees. From the officer’s tasks:
“Assists with the recruitment, selection, training, scheduling, supervision, and retention of AUM student workers who reflect the diversity of the University.”
There was much and more. Go look for yourself. Our society is awash with this stuff.
Going Forward
Sadly, but not surprisingly, we’re not hearing many complaints from our state’s professorial class about this.
Free thought. Free inquiry. Free speech. These are the lifeblood of both the liberal arts and the hard sciences. Professors should be the first to raise alarms, loudly and should be leading the vanguard against such ideological litmus tests.
But, they aren’t. Quite the contrary, in fact.
So, it’s time for the boards of the universities to follow the lead of UNC Chapel Hill and pass resolutions forbidding their schools from asking employees to write statements affirming their commitment to any political causes.
But if the boards fail to act, the State Legislature should pass a law making it so, and send it along to the governor’s desk.
And that would finally be a statement on this issue actually worth signing.
(J. Pepper Bryars is Alabama’s only reader-supported conservative journalist. You can support his writing by subscribing at https://jpepper.substack.com/subscribe.
So true about the administrators either being ignorant about the true meaning of Equity, or them supporting it. Or maybe they have learned what it means, but they refuse to backtrack out of fear of being called racist.
Resubscribed to you for writing this much needed piece.
Please consider joining Alabamians for Academic Excellence and Integrity, or AAEI. We are taking steps to bring down Neo-Marxist DEI. https://alabamiansaei.org/ You would make a great guest for one of our group meetings over Zoom.