News-Letter

The issue of diversity is always a touchy one for academic institutions, and Hopkins is no exception. The question about the level of institutional support for minority and women administrators, faculty and staff goes beyond a simple calculation of numbers and quotas, of percentages and hiring rates. The measure of an institution's success at fostering diversity cannot be calculated by demographics alone -- a truly diverse university is one in which women and minorities receive the same opportunities and support as their male and Caucasian counterparts. In this vein, we applaud the University for taking the crucial step of conducting the first comprehensive, institution-wide survey of job satisfaction among minority employees. Although this is a process that has been instituted surprisingly late for a university as prominent as Hopkins, the survey is a step in the right direction.

Its results, however, show some significant disparities in the employment environment for women and minorities. The survey determined that an astonishingly small percentage of African-American employees -- only 35 percent, compared with 73 percent of their white colleagues -- reported that they are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their work climates. And while the difference was less pronounced for women who work at the University, job satisfaction is still higher for men -- a telling statistic at an institution in which the majority of employees are female.

What is perhaps even more worrying is the low number of African-American employees who consider the University's hiring and promotion practices to be "based on objective criteria such as a candidate's experience, skills and abilities." For black employees, the satisfaction rate with this aspect of Hopkins' practices stands at a paltry 39 percent for both the University and the School of Medicine. Approximately half of the women employees felt that such practices are fair. When administrators, faculty and staff members do not feel that their contributions are being considered on the basis of pure merit, the University clearly risks developing a reputation as a place that is unreceptive to those who are not white males -- one that poses difficulties for the University's attempts to recruit more minorities and women.

The survey, of course, is not without its methodological problems. The statistical value is negatively affected by incomplete data. One quarter of African-American employees at the School of Medicine, for instance, did not respond to questions regarding experience, climate or civility at Hopkins, nor did one in six of African-American workers in the rest of the University's divisions. In future updates to this survey, the University must make efforts to make their numbers truly comprehensive.

On a broader level, one also wonders if this survey of employee attitudes is truly sufficient to determine the degree of racial and sexual equity at Hopkins. An empirical study of the distribution of salary levels and benefits among women and employees of color may be even more revealing of often-subtle institutional inequalities.

Clearly, the efforts to improve the job environment for women and minorities cannot stop with a survey. High-level administrators must make it their priority to re-evaluate their divisions and departments and consider what might be affecting the work environment for those in the survey who indicated their dissatisfaction. These steps may include providing more resources to support minorities, better benefits for female faculty who have families or engaging in a more holistic examination of the culture of "respect" and "civility" for all employees, regardless of ethnicity or gender.

When faced with issues of diversity, it is far too easy to throw up one's hands, or pay simple lip service to the ideal of a truly equitable and heterogeneous workforce. The University must avoid the temptation to take the easy road, and hold itself accountable for producing a feasible response to the disparities that this survey has brought to light.

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