The talk about minorities on college campuses has been ongoing for quite some time, but there are explosive ideas left unsaid. There are things that people think but no one wants to say for fear of being racially insensitive. There are two articles that I want to talk about in this blog post in hopes of starting a conversation.
The first is an article I read in the The Atlantic called "The Painful Truth about Affirmative Action". Essentially, this article goes in depth about how the system of racial preference doesn't work. It takes a statistical analysis of graduation rates at UCLA since the college absolved its affirmative action preferences in its admission process. Interestingly, the article points out that black graduation rates in the five years before the program was struck match the black graduation rates in the five years after. It seeks to make an argument that racial preferences in college admissions don't work because "black people get accepted into places where they can't/won't excel". On some level, I agree that there are gaping holes in the system of affirmative action. I agree that systematically, it probably doesn't work. Fundamentally based on the idea of fairness, it doesn't work. Based on its lingering implication on the reception of black people in the university, it doesn't work. But the issue that affirmative action seeks to address transcends the system. Which brings me to my next article:
It's an article in the The Daily Campus called "Privilege, Discrimination and SMU". SMU is short for Southern Methodist University, and private liberal arts school in Dallas. Being from Dallas, I've heard SMU referred to "southern millionaires union"-- an exploit the demographic of students that attend the school. Having lived in the neighborhood where the college is located, I know first hand that it's not as racially receptive as it could be. On paper, the school is "diverse" and has ongoing diversity talks. But in reality, the culture is not one conducive to the flourishing of American Americans. The writer flat out says, "A task force of select individuals sitting around discussing the issues is not sufficient. We want action."
But what action? To me, you can't legislate culture. I don't think there's a soul who disagrees that black attendance is disproportionate in universities across the nation. Even affirmative action has failed to fix that. As the first article points out, a critical portion of black students who get accepted into certain universities end up transferring because they don't fit in the culture of the college. So then, is UCLA wrong for getting rid of their racial preference program? What do we expect of administrations across the country? I think thats where the stagnation comes in--because people are sitting around thinking how they can legislate culture. To me, you can't. Adding more and more black people on the basis of being black doesn't make your university culture any more conducive to those students' flourishing. So there's this burden placed on colleges to increase diversity numbers, but what do you do when that doesn't work. What do you do when you bring in more black people, and half leave and half struggle? What exactly IS the problem in the university? Is it underrepresentation of minorities, or is it campus culture?
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/the-painful-truth-about-affirmative-action/263122/
http://www.smudailycampus.com/opinion/privilege-discrimination-and-smu
I understand this problem which I am sure burdens all universities in the country. I admit that as a black person I have found myself in situations where I have felt that I did not fit in, from conversations with roommates to attending parties. However, I would not say that it is a problem with underrepresentation of minorities because other minorities seem to adjust just fine. I believe the problem is in the mindset that black students bring onto campuses.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing wrong with the thoughts, practices, or culture of black people. But our culture is so different from traditional campus culture that when we encounter it there is a cultural shock-- a disorientation and anxiety a person may feel when exposed to a new way of life. When my roommates would talk to me about their problems freshman year, I sometimes would not know how to respond because they did not seem like real problems to me. Some of the things that they said and did were foreign to me and it made me feel out of place. However one of my roommates was Filipino and she fit in just fine. Although she was a minority, she did not have to adjust to campus culture because she was raised in America. So the problem is that black culture is so different from mainstream American culture that black students often feel culture shock when they are exposed to it on college campuses.
I think that one of the problems with colleges and universities in America is partially determining an institutions success based on how many students they reject or turn away. Some of the most prestigious universities in the country are determined to be so because of the number of applicants that they deny every year. When this is a factor in determining success, I think that the diversity of a student body can be severely limited. Why can't there be an approach towards accepting those individuals who will most contribute to a thriving campus culture, not just in a classroom setting?
ReplyDeleteIn the case of our school, one problem that I think exists at Rhodes is the employment of African Americans in lower-tier jobs. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with those people employed by Rhodes. My argument is that the employment of the rat, lair, and physical plant workers places them in a subordinate position to the predominantly white student body and faculty of Rhodes. In my opinion, this does not promote diversity and racial equality, rather it somewhat subliminally promotes a racial hierarchy in which African Americans are below whites. Instead of balancing the lack of racial diversity in our student body with African American workers in our dining facilities, why not hire more African American professors and administrators? While I do not think that those in charge of hiring employees for Rhodes have evil intentions or that they are intentionally racist, I do think that there is much more that could be done to promote a more diverse culture on our campus.
The topic of diversity and affirmative action is a stimulating conversation in America today. The idea of having to include african americans into every job decision has negative and positive consequences. In the NFL, the Rooney rule has been used to make sure that teams interview at least one african american candidate for a job. I think that in this case, this is a great use of affirmative action. The NFL is predominantly african american league and it makes sense that black coaches have to considered for the job. However, i am not sure that affirmative action is as necessary for universities. The problem of african americans being placed into schools where they are unable to do the work or do not fit in socially is a huge issue. In admissions departments that are incredibly competitive, affirmative action can be misused. I believe that the individual with the most qualified resumer and application should get the slot. It should not matter what race or gender that person is. However, schools make it a requirement that they have diverse campuses. This is important to represent a real world situation, but it is unfortunate that diversity sometimes take the place of merit. If a black student is more qualified than a white student they should get the spot, but if is the other way around then race should not effect the process.
ReplyDeleteI think we are forgetting about Affirmative Action and why it was passed. In a real world situation, not every student has the same opportunity to build up their resume. Not every students has the opportunity to attend pre-k and thus have a foundation with which to enter school. Nor does every family have the means to pay for a tutor, whether it be to help in school or prep a kid for a standardized test (which I should remind is culturally biased). There are structures that help certain students achieve jobs and internships through informal relationships and networks but not all students have these existing structure in their reach. If you think about it, determining whether or not a student is or is not qualified is a lot more loaded than we may think. I'd invite you to list the ways in which you made it into this institution. Who helped you get here, who wrote our letters of recommendation, the help and support from teachers and school, jobs or volunteer opportunities you had in applying to the schools that you did. I have done this exercise before and it was enlightening. I may not have come from an affluent family and I may be paying my own way through school but I have a lot of support and guidance from community members to be where I am today.
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