The University now has a Task Force to devise a Campus Climate Plan containing specific goals, one of which is an inclusive community. One of the goals is "a campus community that values its members and promotes well-being."

Perhaps for starters, providing role models in upper administration for the 50% of the students who are not white would be a good start.

This is an updated version of an earlier article. Just like this school, hypocrisy is going to be a large theme for this piece. See if you can find the hidden quotes and messages abound in the column!

Stony Brook sure has a deceptive liberal air about it: from the new age philosophy department to the plethora of liberal sociology classes, the breakthrough scientific discoveries, the antiwar protests and all of this wrapped in the diverse student body. If you don’t believe me, check the stats in the graph. I’m not quite sure what an International student is. I’m even less sure what an unknown/other is. Is there a secret race that’s been slowly forming through centuries of careful breeding and patiently waiting for the day to break loose and terrorize white people? Yeah… anyway…

Who would have believed the place is primarily run by rich white dudes? Okay, I guess it’s not that much of a shock.  But just to double check -

Top 10 Coolest Administrators of All Time Right Now
(Now 11 from when first published.) *2

		White woman #1
				Photo not available
Some guy who can’t jump	White male	Three guesses, first two don't count	Hey look, a woman! Finally. White though.	Opposite of (black woman)
		Photo not available
Asian woman… just kidding, white male	White dude	Some guy who can’t rap (unless he’s Eminem)	Caucasian guy	Un hombre blanco

Shirley Strum Kenny - President - White woman #1

Peter Baigent - Just promoted from Acting VPSA to the real thing – Some guy who can’t jump

Norman Edelman - VP, HSC - White male

Richard Fine - Dean of the School of Medicine - Newly hired - Three guesses, first two don't count

Gail Habicht - VP Research – Hey look, a woman! Finally. White though.

Richard Mann - VP, Admin – Opposite of (black woman)

Lawrence Martin - Dean , Graduate School - Asian woman… just kidding, white male 

Robert McGrath - VP, Provost – White dude

Richard Reeder - CIO – Some guy who can’t rap (unless he’s Eminem)

Yacov Shamash - VP, Dean of Engineering – Caucasian guy

James Staros - Dean, CAS – Un hombre blanco

Honestly, I’m not here to criticize administration for being white. They have their jobs, and to be honest, I have no idea how or even what they do, so I’ll just assume they’re doing a sufficient job. I was just having a little fun with the list - but you know what’s not fun? - being powerless.

When this column was first written in the Fall, the balance of power, already heavily favoring white administrators, seemed about to get a lot more obese. Frederick Preston (a black male) was the VP of Student Affairs, and there was at least one person of color to give a different perspective to the Administration, and life was sunshine and rainbows. Then, Hurricane Wilma struck, Fred retired, and he has been replaced on an acting basis with Peter Baigent (the dude who can’t jump). Lady Justice may be blind, but even she can’t support such an imbalance of power. 

Statesman did an interview with Baigent and he seems like a really decent guy. But the bottom line is: no voice, no power. What voice do we have amongst the up and ups? I have no idea. That’s a bad thing. 

You hear the propaganda over and over: “Stony Brook is the most diverse campus in the nation; we have every ethnicity from white to black, Latino to Asian, Unknown to Other, Martians to Illegal Aliens.”  What good is this diversity, though, when we continue to pander to the ways of the old?  It’s new age philosophy stuck in an old age theocratic rule.

Baigent was just made permanent. 

Please, at least let us know you’ve even considered hiring some top level administrators of color as role models before teaching us all about the importance of diversity on campus.

Hidden Quote #1: "A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy." - Benjamin Disraeli

*1
http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/offires/Student%20Characteristics/Graphs04/ethnicug04g.shtml

http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/offires/Student%20Characteristics/Graphs04/ethnicfresh04g.shtml

http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/offires/Enrollment%20Trends/ethnicwc.shtml

*2 After President Kenny these administrators photos and listing are alphabetical since who ranks higher is not relevant. They are all the top echelon - the President's Cabinet so to speak. In the original article they were in a different order, with Habicht close to last, which explains the notation 'finally' by her name.

The Stony Brook Press - Volume 27, Issue 9, Page 24
http://www.thestonybrookpress.com/files/pdf-issues/vol27issue9.pdf