Right, hence the need to have a diversity officer between the applicants and admissions.
We only "mentor" the diversity applicants.
Not trying to split hairs, but to say that only diversity applicants are "mentored" is not only wrong, but very misleading. Most ALO's are very involved with their applicants. They mentor ALL of their applicants. And they do so across the board of gender, race, economic status, or any other diversity factor.
Now, does that mean I or any other ALO might not give some "Extra" attention to one applicant over another? Of course we do; but it's not because of diversity. It's usually because some candidates are more motivated, inspired, excited, etc... about their application. If I have a very motivated applicant, I will help them more. Why? Because their motivation has usually brought them to me with questions, concerns, wanting advice, etc... The one who isn't as motivated spoke with me during the interview and that's about all. I'm not going to be proactive and contact ANY applicant. This is your future, not mine.
And lets not forget or confuse "Diversity" with "Affirmative Action". Too many people think that diversity means we're talking only about race, gender, or skin color. That in itself might make an individual to an extent "diverse", but that's not the only thing. Every candidate out there has some level of diversity. True diversity simply means: "What makes you stand out differently than the others applying". Maybe you come from a single parent family; first generation in your family to apply to college; bi-lingual; born/raised in poverty; inner city; lived on a farm your whole life; school consisted of 50 kids in your grade; your were all-conference/state/national champ at a sport, music, skill; etc... I could go on. And the things that make you "Diverse" are indeed incorporated into your application. And in the subjective areas of your academics, leadership, and ALO (Which also includes the panel's review, CFA, writing sample, and other areas); your diversity is given weight. All of this combined comes up with your weighted composite score. And in NC's example, if the non-minority male had the highest composite score, they'd get the appointment. Now, don't ask me the formulas, percentage, weight, or anything else concerning diversity. I wouldn't say even if i knew. Mainly, because it's a subjective area.
But I wanted to emphasize that there IS a DIFFERENCE between diversity and simply Race/Gender which lead to things like "Affirmative Action". Also; ALO's (Most) do mentor ALL of their applicants. So no, admissions isn't totally blind when it comes to diversity, but they don't practice "Affirmative Action" in the respect that many think of with regard to race/gender.