"Diversity" Substance free article from The New York Times on attempts to "foster" diversity at Dartmouth. Check out the following snippets....

The idea behind affinity houses - separate residences for different racial and ethnic groups - was that minorities needed places where they could learn about their cultures and relax and feel comfortable on campus. .... Mr. Stevenson, 20, said he thought the hardest part for everyone was simply breaking the ice. "My black friends ask me, 'What do I say to a white person?' " Mr. Stevenson said. "My white friends say, 'What do I say to a black person?' " Mr. Stevenson smiled. "I tell them," he said, " ' "Hi, what's your name and where are you from?" is a good place to start.' "

This is Dartmouth, why do the smartest minorities in the country need places where they can learn about their own culture and feel comfortable? If their parents didn't inculcate them with a sense of who they are, and they are intelligent enough to get into an Ivy League school, they should go to the library and read up on their heritage. The second part also illustrates how stupid these people can be. Sounds more like they should have learned skills like how to interact with other human beings who happen to look physically different in kindergarten. I understand that some areas are racially homogenous, but it's not like we live in apartheid South Africa, people have many opportunities to meet the token minority or white person if they so choose [1]. You never know what you'll learn from people. My Mexican-themed culinary skills were acquired from a female of German-American heritage for instance! :) [1] I've played the token minority role well enough in my many years. I hope I've not destroyed any white liberal's kumbaya fantasies about brown noble savages who aren't shackled by preconceptions of western patriarchy and oppression.