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X - Only Positions (Continuing the debate of Three female-only positions at ...)

  • 1.  X - Only Positions (Continuing the debate of Three female-only positions at ...)

    Posted 09-10-2018 07:27
    Thank you for your comments @Adam Elmachtoub and @Natashia Boland . I felt the thread "Three female-only positions at The University of Adelaide, Australia"  already moved far away from its expected objective conveying availability positions.

    I think we could close the thread and have a separate thread to continue the discussion. Thus I created this thread.

    I agree with points raised by you. We need some steps to rectify the under-representation problem due to various historic in many area. The diversity could not be created on one day, there are conscious initiatives required to bring every one the equal chance. These initiatives are not to show that some group is inferior or superior. I feel that these initiatives are small corrective steps against historic (intentional and unintentional) biases existed in the system.

    The obvious question would be Will every one tolerate if you make similar post regard male, white, or Asian etc. I think we may need to see the problem case by case. Such postings may not considered in the same level due to already mentioned historic reasons.
     
    Thanks to INFORMS, @Giang Nguyen and University of Adelaide to provide an opportunity to have discussion in this regard.

    Of course, these methods /initiatives may not be the best method. Dialogues would be great to solve the problem. The criticism without valid alternative may not work. Historically there are some communities or groups were under-represented. Thus, it is somewhat clear that following the old methods may not work. So, there are different initiatives in different places in different context.

    It will be great if the people who consider these methods are wrong could provide better alternatives to improve diversity, equality, and ways to override the historic biases (intentional and unintentional). 

    Have a good creative dialogue. 

    Sincerely,

    Sreekanth V K
    Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
    Kharagpur

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  • 2.  RE: X - Only Positions (Continuing the debate of Three female-only positions at ...)

    Posted 09-11-2018 07:43
    I do not agree with restricting positions to specific groups. We have discussions regularly about treating people equally and not distinguishing specific groups that they are in. Women now have a large majority in the  humanities. Do we then restrict them from getting degrees in the humanities? There are restrictions now on Asians at Harvard since they are supposedly over-represented. I think this is wrong. I think, especially in mathematics, it should be about the mathematics and not gender/race/nationality/religion or any other 'group'.

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    Henry Wolkowicz
    University of Waterloo
    Waterloo ON
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