This is not the time to step back from diversity, equity, and inclusion

Recently, I exchanged views with a prominent Ivy League scientist who was complaining about the minority students and junior faculty applying to his program. He claimed that the university, through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, was forcing his department to consider applicants it wouldn't otherwise and, in the process, ruining science. He also insisted that there is no racial or gender bias in science. I disagreed. Students and faculty applicants making it to the finalist pools at competitive universities are, by definition, among the best in their areas. Furthermore, there are robust data and analyses demonstrating multiple modes of bias in academia. I offered my colleague some clarification as to why diversity, equity, and inclusion matter for science in both education and practice, and outlined what universities actually do with such programs, but he refused to listen. Rather, he asserted that diverse research teams and faculty do not matter for the quality of science and mentorship and that it is not the responsibility of a given department, or university, to rectify disparities that arise from inequities and discrimination.