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So, I follow a few mailing lists which forward when instances of race or identity based hiring happen at universities - mostly in Canada, but the odd other one slips in there - and I've been seeing an increasing number pop up. Now, you have to understand, there is already a general pressure on the social and funding (IE - more eligible for grant money) fronts to not just hire a bunch of white guys and I've had colleagues admit that there is a not so open bias in hiring, but that's just a bias, not an ironclad edict. The thing is, those edicts aren't exactly rare. I saw this one pop up the other day:
"Position/Rank
Assistant Professor of Integrated Music Composition, Music Technology and Theory, Full-time, tenure-track.
In accordance with the University’s Equity Plan and pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights code, the selection will be limited to members of the following designated group: Black people. Our search committee will review the pool of applications from those who self-identify with this designated group. Candidates from this group must self-identify in their cover letter to be considered for this position."
www.universityaffairs.ca
Also, down the way you'll see this tacked in there too:
"Additionally, qualified candidates will espouse a commitment to pedagogical innovation, and inclusive approaches to teaching, curriculum, and assessment by demonstrating an ability to teach a diverse student body with a range of perspectives, experiences, and cultures."
So they're not only demanding the person be black, but also ideologically committed to the ideas that lead to more hiring based on identity markers. This is a tenure track, six figure salary job, by the way, in an intensely competitive job market where a majority of grads are facing a brutal uphill battle.
Cases like this one are becoming more common. It is actually still illegal to just say "We're hiring people who aren't white men" but they get around things like this through things like the human rights code which allows for special program hires to be targeted by identity. In this case the clause mentioned was that it allowed for targeted hiring programs that "has as its objective the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups who are disadvantaged because of Indigenous identity, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression." Some places - like New York State, I believe - has clauses that allow for specialized program hiring. These things were originally intended for, say, the person you hire to do mammograms at the battered women's shelter has to be a woman, so it was a compassionate allowance that people generally thought was reasonable. Now it is being used by places like universities to have totally mundane tenure track jobs be targeted towards specific groups of people, and only that group.
(BC code for anyone interested)
These things are slipped into the law in a lot of places and the effect is "blacks only" hiring like you're seeing blatantly stated in that UVic job ad. Another university is doing a pod hiring program, where it hires something like five minority professors a year - minimum - across the whole university, and it doesn't matter what department. This skirts most legal discrimination clauses because it is so general that there is no single job you can say "Oh, they won't hire whites for this one" - but it has the effect of eating up a substantial amount of the university's hiring budget per year, and lets them slowly fill in empty spots with desirable - IE, non white straight male - candidates. They can - and do - put in those clauses about candidates needed to be focused on diversity and equity.
So, this happening at universities. It's not rare. Some people are shocked to know it even exists, but it is outright common. It's probably legal in most places and, even if it weren't, if you're the one who challenges it legally and publicly good luck ever getting a job in departments where they want to do things like this.
Also, interesting article on the topic:
"The CRC targets are based on the 2016 census and will ramp up, by 2029, to see 50 per cent women, 22 per cent racialized minorities, 4.9 per cent Indigenous peoples and 7.5 per cent persons with disabilities holding chair appointments. As of October 2021, women held 40.9 per cent of these prestigious research jobs, visible minorities 22.8 per cent, Indigenous peoples 3.4 per cent, and people with disabilities 5.8 per cent."
www.universityaffairs.ca
Also, this article mentions the "Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat" is the one pushing this stuff. This is not some university council or something - this is the Federal government, which shapes its funding and research goals with these mandates in mind, as well as the putting pressure directly on universities to hire like this. What this means is that this isn't just kooks in the university deciding it's a good idea for these practices to take place - they are literally incentivized by the feds to do so.
Curious - how do people feel about these practices? Are they just? Do you think they'll improve education? Should they be allowed? Is this a good direction for Western institutions to go?
Other instances of this:
"In support of its commitments to inclusive excellence in academia and research, The University of British Columbia has launched a Black Faculty Cohort Hiring Initiative (BFCHI) to recruit up to 23 Black scholars over the next four years."
www.arts.ubc.ca
"The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+."
uwaterloo.ca
"Over the next three years, all UCalgary faculties will participate in our Inclusive Excellence Cluster Hiring Initiative, which will recruit 45 professors from equity-deserving groups. This initiative is being pursued consistent with Section 6 on equitable and inclusive hiring in the UCalgary GFC Academic Staff Criteria & Processes Handbook and Section 10 of the Alberta Human Rights Act."
www.ucalgary.ca
Some are hard "we are hiring this many applicants based on their identity markers" and some of them are just generalized "We have a commitment to this" which is usually a coded response to federal government pressure on selective hiring - as in, your university misses out on funding opportunities if it doesn't hire enough diversity, and this leads to various levels of university governance applying pressure for identity markers to be decisive factors in hiring.
"Position/Rank
Assistant Professor of Integrated Music Composition, Music Technology and Theory, Full-time, tenure-track.
In accordance with the University’s Equity Plan and pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights code, the selection will be limited to members of the following designated group: Black people. Our search committee will review the pool of applications from those who self-identify with this designated group. Candidates from this group must self-identify in their cover letter to be considered for this position."
Universities are ramping up targeted hiring to meet CRC equity goals — University Affairs
As the number of job ads aimed at under-represented groups grows, it’s garnering attention and generating controversy both in Canada and south of the border.
www.universityaffairs.ca
Also, down the way you'll see this tacked in there too:
"Additionally, qualified candidates will espouse a commitment to pedagogical innovation, and inclusive approaches to teaching, curriculum, and assessment by demonstrating an ability to teach a diverse student body with a range of perspectives, experiences, and cultures."
So they're not only demanding the person be black, but also ideologically committed to the ideas that lead to more hiring based on identity markers. This is a tenure track, six figure salary job, by the way, in an intensely competitive job market where a majority of grads are facing a brutal uphill battle.
Cases like this one are becoming more common. It is actually still illegal to just say "We're hiring people who aren't white men" but they get around things like this through things like the human rights code which allows for special program hires to be targeted by identity. In this case the clause mentioned was that it allowed for targeted hiring programs that "has as its objective the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups who are disadvantaged because of Indigenous identity, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression." Some places - like New York State, I believe - has clauses that allow for specialized program hiring. These things were originally intended for, say, the person you hire to do mammograms at the battered women's shelter has to be a woman, so it was a compassionate allowance that people generally thought was reasonable. Now it is being used by places like universities to have totally mundane tenure track jobs be targeted towards specific groups of people, and only that group.
(BC code for anyone interested)
These things are slipped into the law in a lot of places and the effect is "blacks only" hiring like you're seeing blatantly stated in that UVic job ad. Another university is doing a pod hiring program, where it hires something like five minority professors a year - minimum - across the whole university, and it doesn't matter what department. This skirts most legal discrimination clauses because it is so general that there is no single job you can say "Oh, they won't hire whites for this one" - but it has the effect of eating up a substantial amount of the university's hiring budget per year, and lets them slowly fill in empty spots with desirable - IE, non white straight male - candidates. They can - and do - put in those clauses about candidates needed to be focused on diversity and equity.
So, this happening at universities. It's not rare. Some people are shocked to know it even exists, but it is outright common. It's probably legal in most places and, even if it weren't, if you're the one who challenges it legally and publicly good luck ever getting a job in departments where they want to do things like this.
Also, interesting article on the topic:
"The CRC targets are based on the 2016 census and will ramp up, by 2029, to see 50 per cent women, 22 per cent racialized minorities, 4.9 per cent Indigenous peoples and 7.5 per cent persons with disabilities holding chair appointments. As of October 2021, women held 40.9 per cent of these prestigious research jobs, visible minorities 22.8 per cent, Indigenous peoples 3.4 per cent, and people with disabilities 5.8 per cent."
Universities are ramping up targeted hiring to meet CRC equity goals — University Affairs
As the number of job ads aimed at under-represented groups grows, it’s garnering attention and generating controversy both in Canada and south of the border.
www.universityaffairs.ca
Also, this article mentions the "Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat" is the one pushing this stuff. This is not some university council or something - this is the Federal government, which shapes its funding and research goals with these mandates in mind, as well as the putting pressure directly on universities to hire like this. What this means is that this isn't just kooks in the university deciding it's a good idea for these practices to take place - they are literally incentivized by the feds to do so.
Curious - how do people feel about these practices? Are they just? Do you think they'll improve education? Should they be allowed? Is this a good direction for Western institutions to go?
Other instances of this:
"In support of its commitments to inclusive excellence in academia and research, The University of British Columbia has launched a Black Faculty Cohort Hiring Initiative (BFCHI) to recruit up to 23 Black scholars over the next four years."
Black Faculty Cohort Hiring Initiative - Faculty of Arts
In support of its commitments to inclusive excellence in academia and research, The University of British Columbia has launched a Black Faculty Cohort Hiring Initiative (BFCHI) to recruit up to 23 Black scholars over the next four years. The Faculty of Arts will be hiring six positions under two...
www.arts.ubc.ca
"The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+."
Equitable Recruitment and Hiring for Staff and Faculty | Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Provost
Equitable Recruitment and Hiring for Staff and Faculty
"Over the next three years, all UCalgary faculties will participate in our Inclusive Excellence Cluster Hiring Initiative, which will recruit 45 professors from equity-deserving groups. This initiative is being pursued consistent with Section 6 on equitable and inclusive hiring in the UCalgary GFC Academic Staff Criteria & Processes Handbook and Section 10 of the Alberta Human Rights Act."
Inclusive Excellence Cluster Hiring Initiative
In this image, a clustered group of people in a line is featured, as viewed from the back looking forward. This symbolizes the forward movement of progress the cluster hiring initiative seeks to facilitate. These people are intrinsically linked together through common struggles and goals but...
Some are hard "we are hiring this many applicants based on their identity markers" and some of them are just generalized "We have a commitment to this" which is usually a coded response to federal government pressure on selective hiring - as in, your university misses out on funding opportunities if it doesn't hire enough diversity, and this leads to various levels of university governance applying pressure for identity markers to be decisive factors in hiring.
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