What is the GBG Metric of DEI Utility? A Definition and a Sample

This formula for determining the utility of a college or university's DEI faculty and staff was developed by my Twitter friend DeAngelo "Dee" Snutz in late January or early February of 2023. I am sure it is overly simplistic in many ways, but perhaps it is a necessary start to evaluating (and articulating) clearly-defined goals of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity work on campuses? 

An Application of the GBG Metric of DEI Utility

The GBG presupposes:

       A.   That the goal of DEI is to increase the numbers of students of color on campus.

       B.    That the goal of DEI might be to increase the number of students on campus who are students of color, first-generation students, students from working class backgrounds, and any and all combinations or iterations thereof.

Example: “Presupposition A” Applied to Smahller-Mahn College:

SMC employs 5 people who are listed as working in the DEI domain. Their combined salary is $200,000 per year (X). The overall cost of attending Smahller-Mahn College is $25,000 per year (Y). These numbers yield a score of 8 (Z), given that 8 students of color could attend SMC if the $200,000 were applied differently.

Currently, SMC has an exact enrollment of 5 students of color (A). So, the ratio of students of color who could attend SMC (Z) compared to the current number actually enrolled (A) is 8:5.

Ideally, the Z should exhibit at least a 1:1 ratio, but better Z scores would represent 1:1+N metric wherein it is clear that there are more people of color enrolled at Smahller-Mahn than the combined salaries of DEI personnel could support.

To that end, to maximize utility of DEI monies for the sake of increasing enrollment of students of color such that the ratio of students of color who could be enrolled matches the number of students of color who are enrolled (a 1:1 ratio), Smahller-Mahn College should reallocate at least $75,000 to funds that would directly enroll more students of color. For the greater good of Smahller-Mahn, current DEI salary expenditures should be reallocated toward student scholarships or other entities that would directly affect minority student enrollment. If diversity, equity, and inclusion are truly important on campus, making these adjustments would make Smahller-Mahn a greater campus than as it exists currently.

Update: The name of the metric was changed to the GBG Metric as a goodwill gesture on March 27, 2023. Image updated June 30, 2023.