Ethnic diversity a no-show in OCC faculty
Humberto Caspa
Ethnic diversity has been a major issue at Orange Coast College for
the last two decades, particularly after seeing a major demographic
shift in nearby cities. Thus, school officials laid out programs
focusing on increasing minority enrollment to mirror the population
growth and to offset criticism from the media and community leaders.
However, they forgot that diversity goes beyond the student body; it
also encompasses the faculty and the administrative staff.
According to 2003-04 data gathered by the Office of Institutional
Research at OCC, for the first time, ethnic minorities surpassed
white students numerically. Asians make up 26% of the student
population today. That is an increase of 9.1% since 1991, when the
ethnic composition looked more like the affluent-suburban areas than
the larger population in Orange County. Likewise, Latinos comprised
10% in 1991 and went up to 16% in 2003. African-Americans remained
relatively constant at about 2%, and whites dropped from 67% to 49%.
The outcome in the student body is, of course, a major
accomplishment, and one school officials deserve all the credit for.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about full-time and part-time
professors.
Unlike the students, the faculty has made little, if any, strides
toward establishing ethnically-diverse environments. The same
statistical office at OCC has found that changes in the faculty are
slim or nonexistent, and in some areas recruitment for minority
professors went backward. Asian professors in 2003 accounted for only
5% of the total population. That is an increase of 1.6% since 1994, when they held just eight of the 236 full-time positions. Similarly,
Latinos grew from 3.6% in 1994 to 8% in 2003. African-Americans
stayed relatively the same and whites kept up at over 85%.
The status of part-time faculty is also worrisome, especially for
Latinoprofessors. Only 5% of part-time teaching jobs are assigned to
Latinos today.
In a tight labor market flooded with candidates holding doctoral
degrees from every major university, experience can be a determining
factor to appoint future tenured professors. Given the conditions at
OCC, minority candidates have a small chance of success.
Finally, it appears that the problem at OCC is deeply embedded
within the recruiting system. Otherwise, we cannot explain why, in a
period of 15 years, only a handful of minority professors were hired.
Diversity deserves a chance. School officials must recognize the
problem and work on it constructively.
* HUMBERTO CASPA is a resident of Costa Mesa.
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