Border Patrol and Diversity?

Recently here at APU they had a "career fair." They invited representatives from all sorts of different organizations looking to "recruit" students from APU. It's always ironic to me that our "Christian" school always invites military to this event. But this year APU, which is quite loudly encouraging of "diversity," invited the Border Patrol and "Homeland Security." Since I am writing my Senior Seminar paper on Mexican-U.S. immigration, this was especially ironic to me. And I was encouraged to hear that many other students at APU noticed the irony as well.

This letter was sent out over Facebook (don't judge the grammar, I didn't write it).

For those of you that don't know, APU invited the US Border Patrol to participate in this years career day. The following is an e-mail that was forwarded to me and that, if you agree with the views expressed, I recommend you forward to every APU student you know.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter as the first of many. The series of these letters will address frustrations had by the student body for the invitation that you extended to Border Patrol, as well as other offices of homeland security in today’s career fair. It should be taken into account by your office that I, among other students of this campus, feel that this invitation contradicts explicitly with our university’s declaration for a diverse and equitable campus environment. Your invitation has been received by a portion of the student body as a hostile attack on our individual values and beliefs, and that this is furthered by the contradictory language flowered in the words of ‘pillars’ and ‘cornerstones’ of equality, community, and love for the marginalized and the outsider.

Further, it seems as though your inability to extend invitation to a diverse range of employers expresses to us our insignificance in this community. We have previously, and do currently, understand this message that this institution only accepts a homogenous view; that, because we exist on the other side of this paradigm, we are set aside to the periphery. We understand that this may not have been done intentionally or with malice, but we wish to convey that, because this has happened, we feel it right and good to express frustration. The frustrations laid down here are indeed shared by a number of students at this university. We express this opinion, not in the petty feigns of retribution, but in order to evoke change and transformation.

· We wish to see that more thought is given to your process of organization for future job fairs.

· We hope that, in the future, more than one view and one path are made available to the students of this school.

· And most importantly, we call for your public apology to the students of this school for the invitations extended to the offices of Homeland Security, and especially that of US Border Patrol.

I don't think I agree with this letter... at least not its trajectory. But I was encouraging to me to see that students were noticing the irony. I'm not sure what I think of the letter though... It closes dialog, rather than opening it. What are your thoughts?