While most Americans would agree that mandated racial segregation has no place in the 21st century, a public university in Idaho has embraced self-segregated supplemental graduation ceremonies in the name of diversity, in a move that has roiled some state lawmakers.
According to the Idaho Statesman, several such practices at Boise State University have drawn the ire of state legislators to the point where a number of Republican state representatives have written a letter to incoming BSU president Marlene Tromp, asking her to eliminate or amend a number of university practices that are “antithetical to the Idaho way.”
Among the programs cited by legislators as being “divisive” and exclusionary are BSU’s “Rainbow Graduation” ceremony, an end-of-year graduation celebration designed specifically for LGBT students, as well as the “Black Graduation” designed specifically for African American students. Legislators also cited BSU’s plans to give beneficiaries of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, who are not U.S. citizens, the chance to apply for the taxpayer-funded Idaho Opportunity Scholarship. They say it’s another divisive move that would drive up costs for the Idaho taxpayer.
“This drive to create a diversified and inclusive culture becomes divisive and exclusionary because it separates and segregates students,” said Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, in the legislators’ letter to BSU. “These initiatives by nature highlight differences and suggest that certain groups are treated unequally now — and that BSU should redress these grievances.”
Recent years have seen a number of universities nationwide embrace the concept of separate events and ceremonies, often to appease student leaders and activists. It’s important to note that the events, such as “Rainbow Graduation,” are often offered as supplemental events, not direct replacements for traditional integrated ceremonies.
Still, they are becoming quite common.
A recent study conducted by the National Association of Scholars found that of 173 college campuses surveyed, 42% had developed self-segregated orientation programs for incoming students, and approximately 72% of those schools were host to self-segregated graduation ceremonies at the end of their academic year.
John Patrick is a contributor to Red Alert Politics.
