Goal: diversity
The news in the 1983-84 Affirmative Action report to the Trustees was of the "do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first" variety. The good news was that the Trustees' hiring goals for women were met at the faculty level and were nearly attained on the administrative level. The bad news was that the goals for minorities were not met in any sector. Affirmative Action Officer Ngina Lythcott, who prepared the report to the Trustees, noted further that even "more disturbing" is the high level of minority terminations. "There is evidence," she said in her report, "that we are not only not meeting our appointment goals for minorities, but in considering terminations, it becomes apparent that our total composition is moving away from a racially diverse community."
Lythcott emphasized, in discussing the report, the fact that "the Trustees and the president have stressed that a diverse community is critical to the excellence of an academic institution and that the institution is a better one for all students when it's diverse." She also noted that while Dartmouth is required by the federal government to have some sort of Affirmative Action plan, the specifics of the plan are set by the Trustees. She explained several other oftenmisunderstood aspects of Affirmative Action as well. "I have nothing to do with admissions," she stated. While equal opportunity, or non-discrimination, does apply to admissions, she explained that Affirmative Action applies only to hiring and "is actively race-and gender-conscious, to remedy past discrimination, and typically includes goals and timetables." Lythcott also noted that Affirmative Action goals are not "quotas." "They do not limit us," she said. "We have overshot our goals." But, she also noted, "We are quite capable of not meeting the goals. We do not lower our standards. The goals don't confine us, nor do they force us to do something not in the best interests of the institution."
The College's goals for tenure-track faculty are 33 percent women and ten percent minorities. During the period covered in the current report-June 1983 through July 1984-faculty appointments for women were 48 percent on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, 43 percent at the Medical School, and 50 percent at Tuck, and for minorities four percent on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. No minorities were appointed at the Medical School or Tuck, and Thayer made no appointments during the reporting period. In the administration, there are two goals 50 percent women and ten percent minorities for upper salary grades, and four percent minorities for lower grades. In the upper grades, 30 percent of the appointments were women and eight percent were minorities. In lower grades, two percent of appointments were minorities. Lythcott feels the goals are "very achievable," with the possible exception of the 50 pecent goal for women at upper administrative levels. "That's somewhat ambitious, but we have met it," she said.
She also explained some factors that need to be considered in evaluating this data, especially the differential between women and minorities. The availability of minorities with a terminal degree, she said, has remained about the same in recent years, while the number of women with doctorates has increased, depending on the field, from 50 percent to 400 percent. She noted increasing competition from other schools for the same qualified candidates as another factor. In addition, Dartmouth's location, the lack of a "critical mass" minority community, and the College's image also affect recruiting and retention of women and, especially, minorities. The image, she said, "has to do with The Review, the Indian Symbol, the College's policies on South African investments," and other issues which lead to a perception of the College as "racist and sexist."
She concluded, however, by returning to the good news-the "great strides that have been made in hiring women"-and to noting the tactics (including reemphasizing a recruitment network and reactivating a central resume file) being pursued to better meet the College's goals next time around.
