History professor Anthony Esolen recently came under fire when he penned an article for Crisis magazine that questioned the push for diversity at his workplace, Catholic institution Providence College. The piece, “Ideology is the Enemy of True Faith,” criticizes Providence College and the entire Catholic community when it comes to enthusiasm for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Among other accusations, Esolen said that the college is on the diversity bandwagon (to paraphrase) and that the popular views it’s taking run directly against Catholic doctrine. Specifically, Esolen mentions the need to uphold traditional heterosexual marriage because that is truly what moves diversity forward through reproduction.
Needless to say, Esolen’s words have triggered a firestorm of criticism, launched a petition against him from the Black Studies department at Providence, and even incited a public rebuke from the college president. In interviews with other news sources, Esolen has defended his position, saying that those who disagree aren’t really Catholics anyway (another paraphrase).
Esolen’s position certainly rings of prejudice when first read, and, of course, he won’t be leading any diversity workshops anywhere any time soon. His bold statements though may do more to advance diversity on college settings than harm it. Here’s what his stance, and the response against it, can teach us about our own campus diversity programs:
Diversity a buzz word
Without action, diversity is just a pointless word that is slapped on college promotional materials for appearances. A college or university that uses diversity for shallow reasons or out of obligation is not one that is doing its part to really further the opportunities for all students. Esolen says that promotion of diversity of certain groups of students runs afoul to Catholic ideology and he’s right. Can Catholic colleges, then, truly claim that they provide diverse options for all students if certain ones—like those in the LGBTQ+ community—are marginalized in the basic doctrine of the church that sponsors the school? Schools cannot gloss over the facts when it comes to diversity. If you foster a spirit of acceptance and believe in opportunities for all, spell it out specifically in your mission statement. If those college beliefs don’t match the sponsoring institution (a church for example), then clearly outline how you are separate from that set of convictions.
Professors are contrarians
