“DIVERSITY” OVERLOAD …
The University of South Carolina’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (yes, that’s a real thing) is bragging on its progress in responding to recent student demands for greater … well … diversity and inclusion.
“Inspired by our students’ concerns, this list of university initiatives is not intended to suggest that our work to create a more diverse and inclusive campus community is done,” the office’s diversity initiatives page notes. “Rather, it is intended to provide some context for the work currently being endeavored in offices across the university.”
Ugh.
Ready to see what your tax dollars have been up to, South Carolinians?
From the list …
Gender Neutral Housing
While gender neutral halls and specific rooms are not identified in our housing communities, we offer a number of private rooms in suites and several one-bedroom apartments to help students in transition to feel comfortable in their campus residence.
Gender Neutral Bathrooms
Most residence halls, particularly newer and recently renovated buildings, have gender neutral bathrooms in public spaces. For instance:
- South Tower now has 19 private, gender-neutral bathrooms
- Patterson Hall has 9 gender-neutral bathrooms
- In all of housing facilities, there are 63 gender-neutral bathrooms
Preferred Name Policy
The university is working on a preferred name policy that will go into effect fall 2016.
Additionally, the office is touting its efforts to advance gender identity as a “protected class” and its hiring of health care staff “who have professional expertise in transgender concerns and (who) provide leadership regarding sensitive care for transitioning students.”
Not only that, there is “a mentoring program for students in gender transitioning decisions.”
Sheesh …
On race, the office has established the South Carolina Collaborative on Racial Reconciliation (SCCRR) to create “spaces for healthy dialog (sic) about race and thoughtful actions that lead toward the reconciliation and healing of racial and other social differences in both the university community and communities across South Carolina.”
In addition to all this PC nonsense, South Carolina taxpayers are also shelling out for new academic programs built around this crap.
In other words, you can major in PC …
According to the office, it has created “a new pathway for Graduation with Leadership Distinction (GLD)” focused on “issues of social justice and challenges that face our communities as they relate to ability, class, ethnicity, gender, gender and sexual identity, race and religion.”
Yeah … can’t wait to see how many millions of dollars worth of student loans get approved for that program.
Finally, in an effort to “improve the sense of inclusion reflected in homecoming activities,” the office mandated that the homecoming committee be comprised of a majority of non-white students.
Unreal …
To be clear: We’re libertarians. We respect the right of people to identify as whatever gender they choose and call themselves whatever name they choose. Those decisions comprise the basis of individual liberty.
Our beef? When we’re asked to pay for preferential treatment associated with these choices.
None of the policies South Carolina is pursuing particularly offend us. We think some of them are ridiculous, but whatever. It’s not our place to criticize … again, expect for the part where the whole thing is being paid for by taxpayers.
Which brings us to a point we’ve been making repeatedly in response to a wide range of different issues: Privatize higher education.
Now.
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: Government has no business subsidizing higher education. Period.
It’s simple, really: We’re happy to respect whatever “safe spaces” America’s Youth Gone Mild wish to establish … as long as they (and the squishy government bureaucrats “empowering” them) agree to keep their grubby paws off of our wallets and pocketbooks.
Seriously … where is the safe space for taxpayers?
Especially at USC, a school which has consistently shown zero regard for those of us who bankroll its existence.
(Banner via USC)