Minding the Campus and the National Association of Scholars have conducted extensive research on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) in higher education, culminating in the publication of numerous columns on the subject. These have included “SUNY Has Adopted a Program to Hire Minority Professors,” “‘Diversity Is Important?’ That Doesn’t Cut it at University of Oregon,” and my own article “‘Treat Everyone the Same’ Doesn’t Cut It at UMass Chan Medical School.” Together, these pieces have pointed out stark flaws in the DEI system, such as the overinflation of race and gender priorities as well as the neglect of other aspects of diversity in their “checklist” hiring systems.
Aside from these shortcomings, however, another glaring flaw in the DEI system stood out to me as I conducted research for my UMass Chan article. DEI often seems to fail to address one particularly important element of diversity: religion.
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Religious demographics are especially interesting in the DEI conversation, particularly since DEI checklists seem to overlook this difference the most. However, it is important to note that race and religion are inextricably linked together in the broader concept of culture. Culture, by definition, is “the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time.” In India, the U.S. Department of State reports that 79 percent of individuals practice the Hindu religion. In Brazil, they report that 65 percent of individuals are Catholic, with another 22 percent being Protestant, making the total percentage of Christians 87 percent.
In the United States, a Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study examined the correlation between race/ethnicity and religious affiliation. According to the study, among the minority population, it was demonstrated that 79 percent of blacks identify with the Christian religion, primarily “Historically Black Protestant.” In addition to this, a third of Asians identify with the Christian religion, and another third identify with another religion, primarily Hinduism. Among the Latino population, it was noted that 77 percent identify with the Christian religion, primarily Catholic.
When addressing students from both the diversity in the U.S. and that which comes from international students, so much emphasis has been placed on race/ethnicity and on gender but has seemingly ignored dividing lines existing from culture, particularly in regards to religion. Yet, individuals of different racial and ethnic backgrounds carry with them the culture into which they were born, which automatically includes religious tradition.
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The argument about DEI’s oversight of religious diversity is certainly not new. In an article published in 2022 on Religion News Service, Khyati Joshi wrote on the topic of religion and DEI, noting his own experience with DEI’s neglect of religious diversity at his workplace. As detailed by Joshi, his employer scheduled two workplace meetings on October 24, failing to demonstrate mindfulness for Joshi’s observance of the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain holidays of Diwali followed by the Hindu New Year. When he contacted his workplace’s DEI leader, Joshi received no reply.
Turning to the university sector, Ginger O’Donnell published an article in 2020 on Insight Into Diversity, in which she detailed the experience of highly-involved undergraduate Muslim student Eboo Patel, who observed the lack of conversation on the topic of religious diversity in DEI training seminars. Due to this oversight, Patel was compelled to found a non-profit organization of his own entitled Interfaith Youth Core—now called Interfaith America—which he designed to provide interfaith training and involvement opportunities for university students.
Both of these reports highlight the lack of religious diversity in supposed DEI measures.
In a landscape of DEI research and seminars for university faculty members, it appears no measures have been put in place to actively promote education on and research surrounding religious divides and the promotion of religious inclusion. However, it remains clear that DEI “checklists” for prospective faculty members are still being encouraged in the hiring process. When considering such an oversight, one must wonder about the true effectiveness of university DEI systems in accomplishing their goal.
Image by Davizro Photography — Adobe Stock — Asset ID#: 492094119
This article was originally published at www.mindingthecampus.org
