Thernstrom questioned the validity of the term diversity, which he called “totally undefined.”

The professor asked whether the University of California schools, most of which have high Asian student populations, could be called diverse.

“UCLA—unhappy Caucasians, lost among the Asians,” Thernstrom said, garnering giggles in the audience by facetiously redefining the acronym for the Los Angeles school.

At times, Thernstrom was subtly critical of the Bush administration.

He also referred to former Senator Trent Lott’s 2002 scandal as “a disgusting affair.”

“[I saw] his groveling performance on BET, which I forced myself to watch,” Thernstrom said, referring to Lott’s high-profile cable-TV interview.

Candice Chiu ’04 said she enjoyed listening to Thernstrom’s speech on race.

“It’s a topic a lot of Republicans avoid addressing,” Chiu said.

—Staff writer Faryl W. Ury can be reached at ury@fas.harvard.edu.