2008 Woodie Awards
Diversity at Drew: An in-depth analysis
Emma Nostrand, Sterling Y. Reese and Benjamin Shedlock
Issue date: 3/30/07 Section: News
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diversity does. Two years ago, the culture of politically
correct silence and discomfort with diversity discussions pushed Drew to the breaking point.
A poorly executed Acron article finally broke the skin of a scabbed-over wound. In a cathartic release of emotion, the campus reeled over its worst-kept secret: Drew was not diverse. And nothing was being done about it.
In the following months, Drew began to stitch its wound by holding town-hall meetings, creating a diversity committee, hiring new administrators and exploring untapped applicant pools in an effort to finally begin the healing process.
But was it enough? The administration and the student body are more diverse, but by how much? Student groups have more money at their disposal to run multicultural programs, but how far do they reach?
In two pages of candid disclosure, students, administrators and faculty weigh in as The Acorn examines the successes and failures of the treatment of diversity at Drew and asks, "Are we on the right track?"
Where we were
A look at the catalyst for reevaluation of racial attitudes at Drew.
Looking at Drew University's campus today, it would be difficult to surmise that, before 2005, discussion about diversity at Drew was minimal. In 2005, The Acorn published its annual "April Fools'" edition, The Acron. The Acron, an Acorn tradition that began in the 1920s, published several articles satirizing events on campus. This particular edition included an article spoofing the addition of Drew's new Pan-African Studies major, using insensitive language that reinforced negative linguistic stereotypes toward African Americans. A strong backlash ensued from the campus community, spurring a demand for the restructuring of Drew's human rights and diversity protocol.
Since then, diversity has been at the forefront of many discussions in the Drew community. "We were forced to talk about things we never had to talk about," Professor of English Gerry Smith-Wright said of the incident. "I've been here 25 years, and I can probably count on one hand the times that we've had those sorts of campus-wide meetings. People were not holding back. We were hurting, and there was pain in a way that I haven't seen in all the years that I've been here."
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