Re: A&T’s diversity officer

Locker Room’s George Leef passes along this NAS post new A&T ‘diversity officer’ William Harvey:

Harvey has recently become dean of the school of education at North Carolina A & T University, where 84% of all students and over 92% of the freshmen are black. Perhaps he will devote his expertise to increasing “diversity” there. Since he complained to the Chronicle interviewer that progress diversifying the top ranks of higher education” has been very minuscule,” a good place for him to begin might be the A&T Board of Trustees, whose pictures suggest that 10 of the 12 members are black, 2 are white, with no Asian-Americans (which of course Harvey would not find surprising, given his understanding of how Asian-American culture inhibits seeking positions of high responsibility).

I am afraid, however, that rather than continuing his crusade for “diversity” Harvey might actually devote his remarkable talents to education, with yet unknown consequences for future students in North Carolina and beyond. He told the Chronicle interviewer that the problem with education was not only the senior faculty, where “the representation of people of color is abysmal,” but “also the curriculum itself.”

While the University of Virginia —where he was paid a $315,000 salary —- Harvey said about the ‘underrepresentation’ of Asian-Americans on the UVa. faculty was perhaps due to the fact that they “typically do not actively seek out leadership positions and instead may prefer to take a more supportive role.”

High-profile G’boro developer influencing council election?

Hard to imagine, I realize. But Triad Watch reports that high-profile Greensboro developer Roy Carroll’s request for a $4.1 million economic incentives grant —originally scheduled for a September City Council meeting —- has been postponed until ‘next month,’ meaning after the election.

Triad Watch concludes Carroll will use that time to funnel money to candidates who vote favorably. Certainly a logical conclusion, though I personally can’t imagine any council makeup that wouldn’t pencil-whip this request. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

By the same token, many—- including the N&R —- were urging a delay in the landfill vote until after the election, ostensibly so the new council would deliver a favorable vote —–not to reopen the landfill. While that’s a high-profile example, this is an example of the more subtle politics surrounding the City Council, which is what Triad Watch does a good job of exposing.