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Walter E. Williams spoke about diversity before a full Chapel on Feb. 7. On this crisp night, Williams spoke on " The Hypocrisy of Diversity: How Much Can Discrimination Explain?" He challenged "race conscious decision making" saying, "Diversity has become a substitute for affirmative action."  Williams' talk was co-sponsored by the College Republicans and the Office of the President.

He suggested that discrimination is not the reason nor an excuse for instances of disproportional representation of races in schools and jobs. He suggested that proportional representation of races in these areas is not the norm, and to expect this is a mistake.

"The problems of race in our country will not be solved unless we challenge this false civil rights vision," Williams said. "We must find the problem and solve it; affirmative action will not solve it. Something has gone drastically wrong in matters of race and things have gotten progressively worse for blacks." 

"Rotten schools," high crime rates, and broken homes were three problems that Williams discussed. According to Williams, ridding predominantly African-American communities of these will solve the problem of under-achievement. In response to a question from the audience about school vouchers, he flippantly suggested getting rid of compulsory education. On a more serious note, he advocated giving parents the ability to hold schools accountable or be able to take their children to another school.  He said all parents, not just the rich ones, should have the option of sending their kids to private school or military academy.

Widely known for guest hosting the Rush Limbaugh radio talk show and for his syndicated columns, Williams is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He writes for publications such as Newsweek, American Economic Review and National Review and is the author of several books. He serves on boards of the Cato and Hoover Institutions and is often called upon to testify to Congress on topics including labor policy and taxation and spending.  

"Walter Williams is a distinguished libertarian thinker, " said Robert Paquette, professor of American history. "He is a champion of individual liberty and the free market; he represents a powerful and respected school of thought that is all to infrequently heard on this campus."

On college admissions, Williams sighted statistics from MIT, Harvard and Berkeley to demonstrate the disservice done by admitting poorly educated minority students to elite colleges.  He attributes dropout rates as high as 70 percent among African-Americans at Ivy League colleges to this mismatch.  This contrasts sharply with Hamilton statistics, that document over the last decade, more than 81 percent of black students have graduated. 

Williams, in a recent column, wrote, "What's called for and practiced by college administrators … is anything but a defense of individual rights …Diversity is simply the old racism in a new guise." 

This topic is particularly relevant since Hamilton and many other colleges are currently attempting to increase the diversity of their student bodies.  Reactions to Willaims' talk were varied. Chris Hardison '02 commented, "While his arguments about diversity were well-developed, he failed to offer any practical solutions to the problems raised." 

During his opening remarks President Eugene Tobin said, "Colleges like this one are free and open places. We invite creativity and its twin, controversy. Disagreement is not an easy thing to teach or embrace, but it is the foundation of a democratic society. Real diversity means bringing individuals with different viewpoints to campus, especially if these opinions contribute to a lively intellectual exchange."

Echoing this, Philip Klinkner, associate professor of government, said, "I am glad that the college has endeavored to bring speakers with diverse views, like Professor Williams, to campus. While I do not agree with everything he said, I do think this will fuel more serious discussion about diversity here at Hamilton."

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