Measuring the true impact of anything we do that seeks to facilitate change can be a challenge. Nevertheless, we do a lot of measuring in higher education. How many students are enrolled in our courses? What is the average GPA for a group of students? How many folx are graduating? In DEI work, the desire to measure is particularly strong. We continue to identify anti-racism and social justice as paramount concerns for our students, faculty, and staff. We strive to engage those that join us on campus in thoughtful, creative, and critical ways that honor individual lived experiences and the impact of oppressive social systems on all of us.
Unfortunately, we also feel the pressure of external forces that demand instantaneous results. College and universities are complex webs of diverse stakeholders, all with their own definitions of success. Figuring out whether the DEI work we are doing is having the desire impact, namely culture change, can be difficult. In part, this is because culture change happens over many years, and we live in a "what have you done for me lately" society where instant gratification is queen. As a result, we often default to false proxies for success.
We share percentage increases in diverse populations on campus as a measure of an equitable environment (it's not), we track GPA as a standard measure of learning (it's not), and we proudly share high percentages of people "trained" through online modules and other efficient means as a measure of social justice work (it's not).
Now, this is not to say that these efforts are not important, because they are significant to a degree. They represent a foundation, a starting point. However, they will never tell the whole story. The real story is much more complex, much messier. the real story resides in the stories and lived experiences of the folx that come to campus with their own individual goals and dreams. That narrative can be harder to see and hear because it doesn't always come with hard, quantitative data to back it up. It's measured in generations, not semesters. It's measured in quality of life, not GPA. It's measured in sense of belonging, not occupancy and enrollment.
Climate change deniers often point to the heavy snowfalls and winter storms as evidence that global warming is a hoax. In much the same way, they are, either wittingly or unwittingly, using a false proxy. The data on climate change is conclusive at this point, but only when you look at it over the course of decades and centuries. In the day-to-day, it is always more difficult to see change. We are immersed in it. However, when we invest our resources in chasing false proxies, we undermine our ability to facilitate real change. It takes time, and it involves some level of faith, but the reward is a much more effective means of reaching your actual goals.
