This post is the ninth post in a series of stories that, taken together, might help explain why I decided to take early retirement from UCI. My point in posting these stories is to say "This happened. It shouldn't have. Can you learn something from it, so you can prevent such things from happening where you are (or at least not be complicit)?"
"Proposition whatever-it-is"
The math department Chair informed the faculty that the Mad Hatter Dean was coming to a faculty meeting to give us a "speech about the importance of inclusive excellence and diversity in faculty recruitment".
At the meeting, the Dean told us that the important words in the message he's getting "from above" are "inclusive excellence," "preferably URM [underrepresented minority]".
He told us that there's an "inclusive excellence supplement" that for each advertised job can give an extra position, and URM is more important than female. He let us know that there's a 100% chance of getting an extra position if the department proposes two URM candidates for the position, and 90% if one is URM and the second is female. He was not sure what would happen if one were female and neither were URM, but he thought that probably wouldn't qualify for an extra position.
He said that the pressure from "across campus, Janet Napolitano [then-President of the University of California], and the legislature is unprecedented".
He ended with "That's all I know how to say legally." He told us he came with written notes (which he held in his hand), to make sure he didn't misspeak.
I asked why what he had already told us was legal. He said he didn't know.
After questions from others, the Dean said that "`officially' the position is wide open and there are no strings attached. There is no discrimination." He said it with a smirk that made it clear that he didn't believe that at all.
He said that "the university walks a fine line on Proposition whatever-it-is." (He presumably meant California Proposition 209.)
He added that politically he's generally on the left, and he agrees with some of the university's goals on diversity (making clear by implication that he didn't agree with all of it).
He really should have stuck to his written notes.