(no subject)

[waterspyder]

So I'm doing a survey for the University of Ottawa, and all of a sudden they ask the following question

"Had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than your own"
(Options, Very Often, Often, Sometimes, Never)

Is it just me or is this offensive and why should it matter?

Comments

[zenten.livejournal.com]

They want to know how racist you are?

[waterspyder.livejournal.com]

apparently, there are a lot of other fucked up questions, like did univesity teach me to be able to talk to these people, or did my university experience help me to develop a deeper sense of spirituality

[zenten.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see.

Lacking achedemic success stories, they're looking for for touchy feely success stories.

[sivi-volk.livejournal.com]

They aren't seeing if you're racist, they're seeing how students embrace racial diversity. They want to know if people from different ethnicities stick together, or develop outside friendships.

[waterspyder.livejournal.com]

why don't they ask whether they talk to gay students or students with visible disabilities?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Because maybe the study (which I typo'd as "the stupid" initially) is more interested in racial and ethnic cultural boundaries than sexual and physical ones?

[waterspyder.livejournal.com]

The survey got dumber as it went on, including asking for my average grades in a marking scheme that our University does not employ

[torrain.livejournal.com]

I think it's just you. I can't see how it would be offensive.

As to why it matters, I guess that depends on what the survey's for.

[waterspyder.livejournal.com]

I think maybe it wasn't that question in particular, but perhaps the lack of associated questions to actually give the question any sort of rationale.