Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - The "Diversity" Approach to Racial Preferences

AVoiceOfReason · 08-03-2005, 05:46 AM

Rather than trying to respond to all the threads above, many of which I found very interesting, let me try to address the question of what to do to get more qualified minorities in a particular field, such as nuclear physics.

The incoming class looks to be 95% white or Asian male. The school admins decide that the class would be better served by having more blacks and more females. It can do some of the following:

1. Actively recruit in the schools where blacks are a majority, and target efforts at women.

2. Change the entrance exam so more of those groups that have applied but haven't made it will not be weeded out at that stage.

3. Leave the exam alone and lower the score needed to "pass." Then, make remedial education classes available for all that need it, knowing that the ones that scored at the level that would have failed before the adjustment will need it.

4. Offer financial incentives to blacks and women not available to white and Asian males.

I have no problem with AA in the first area--recruitment. The standards of admission are not lowered. I have a little sympathy with the fourth option, but would prefer a racially and gender neutral approach to public financing--the poor white kid in West Virginia can use that kind of help, too.

2 and 3 are both unthinkable to me. Standards for the discipline being studied must be maintained.

There are possibly other options I'm not seeing--any thoughts?

08-03-2005, 05:46 AM	#78 (permalink)
AVoiceOfReason Psycho Location: Greenwood, Arkansas	Rather than trying to respond to all the threads above, many of which I found very interesting, let me try to address the question of what to do to get more qualified minorities in a particular field, such as nuclear physics. The incoming class looks to be 95% white or Asian male. The school admins decide that the class would be better served by having more blacks and more females. It can do some of the following: 1. Actively recruit in the schools where blacks are a majority, and target efforts at women. 2. Change the entrance exam so more of those groups that have applied but haven't made it will not be weeded out at that stage. 3. Leave the exam alone and lower the score needed to "pass." Then, make remedial education classes available for all that need it, knowing that the ones that scored at the level that would have failed before the adjustment will need it. 4. Offer financial incentives to blacks and women not available to white and Asian males. I have no problem with AA in the first area--recruitment. The standards of admission are not lowered. I have a little sympathy with the fourth option, but would prefer a racially and gender neutral approach to public financing--the poor white kid in West Virginia can use that kind of help, too. 2 and 3 are both unthinkable to me. Standards for the discipline being studied must be maintained. There are possibly other options I'm not seeing--any thoughts? __________________ AVOR A Voice Of Reason, not necessarily the ONLY one.