The reason Berkeley has only "managed" to enroll a "small number of Black and Latino undergraduates" just might have something to do with the glaring fact that fewer students from these demographic groups have "managed" to legitimately qualify for admission. That's not steel trap logic; it's reality.

As for the gift, well, that's all well and fine if poor Whites and Asians are included in the mix. They add to diversity as well and are certainly at least as deserving.

But then this gift might better be termed a "compensatory financial measure."

And this type of expanded diversity will benefit the institution by . . . ? Maybe some time in the near future a major university will have a diversity program that includes the mentally handicapped or Jihadists. Everyone is different in some respect and may or may not have something positive to contribute. Providing rewards for "out of the mainstream" sexual behavior is just as misplaced as persecuting it.

Students attend Universities with the goal of earning a living and contributing to society. They study music, math, science, business, literature, law, or medicine. Delving into the psyche and perspectives of sexual odd-balls and labeling it as academic shows just how far education has stepped backwards.

Wow. Racists, and homophobes, and bigots, oh my!
That's the wonderful thing about gifts: you get to give them to whomever you want.
Signed:
a very happy, proud, thankful, Sexual Odd-ball

Ira Hirschfield's thoughtful open letter on the Haas Jr Fund web site (http://tinyurl.com/yf6j9kv) offers a deeper understanding of the motivation and history behind this brave and challenging gift. Note that the Hewlett Foundation will be among those providing matching funds.

A few commentators here seem not to have bothered with reading the article, which is odd considering how short it is. When it says "chairs will include one of the nation's first devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equity" that is hardly providing rewards for out of the mainstream sexual behavior, it is endowing a chair in an area of study. Perhaps that commentator would prefer to pretend that non-straights don't exist?

As for the student scholarships, note that the article states that "The gift will also establish a $1.5-million endowed fund to support scholarships for transfer students from community colleges, who are a more racially and economically diverse group than those who enroll as freshmen." That's right, there's that word "economically" for those of you overly worried about race. The Haas fund is simply making it possible for people to engage in higher education who probably wouldn't be able to otherwise and for increased attention on an area of social topic that has been maligned for millennia. Nobody's rights are being trampled on here so I find it odd that anyone would be indignant about this generous gift.

I could not be happier or more proud to learn of this gift to the university and of the benefit to the university community and beyond. I also could not be more infuriated by the narrow-minded comments against this gift and its goals.
Diverse histories, experiences, and perspectives enhance learning environments and advance multi-cultural literacy: an ever more important necessity in our global economy and communication. Most, if not all, hate, violence and oppression are founded on ignorance. Consider the logical extremes of diversity: everyone is included, or no one is included. I support education and society that is more inclusive rather than less inclusive. Understanding and respecting others different from ourselves enables dialogues toward mutually beneficial outcomes.
Continuing to marginalize and ridicule those different from ourselves moves education and society backward, not faculty chairs and scholarships supporting more diverse populations. LGBT populations do not choose their orientation any more than I chose to be a white heterosexual male, and are no more able to change their orientation than I am. But I did not have to overcome prejudice and ignorance while earning my way into higher education. I did not have to overcome a long history and society of continuing of hatred, lynching, or being chained to a pick-up truck and dragged to death.
I strongly applaud gift and its goals to better society.

Berkeley's news release on the gift has now been posted here:
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/02/18_haas_jr_fund.shtml

What those who object to the diversity gift don't grasp is what some of the socioeconomically disadvantaged have to deal with to be academically successful: an enormous array of mistreatment, mis-education and the normalized dysfunction that comes from poverty-stricken environments (as opposed to the dysfunction that comes from unearned privileges due to accident of birth--read unenlightened white males).

It's not always about character or laziness or lack of ambition. They have been affected by their environment just as some white people have been affected by the misinformation their cultures have given them to justify the mistreatment of others due to race.

These people who have enjoyed unearned privileges due to accident of birth should live somewhere where they are discriminated against simply for their skin color. Perhaps live Jihadists.

The average sole whose ancestors dealt with their own holocaust in this country (400 years of slavery and continued discrimination to this day) have not been given any slack for the injuries that still exist.

We all benefit from a well-educated society. But, I guess those with unearned privileges actually believe the myths their forefathers fed them about what it means to be white. They are supposed to always be top dog I guess.