A diverse dilemma (Cornell has a "Center for the Study of Inequality"?!?)

Copyright © 2004 TWEAN d.b.a. News 10 Now ^ | 4/23/2004 8:38 PM | Abbie Ginder, News 10 Now Web Staff

[Behind Liberal Lines]

ITHACA--Last summer, the Supreme Court ruled that the University of Michigan broke the law when it used a race-based points system to decide whether to admit a student.

Marvin Krislov, the university's Vice President, was smack in the middle of the controversy.

"It's absolutely crystal clear that for this country to grow and develop we need to have diverse student bodies and diverse leadership opportunities for people from all backgrounds,” he said.

Cornell's Center for the Study of Inequality has brought experts like Krislov together this weekend to try and hash out the rights and wrongs of affirmative action and college admissions.

"Affirmative action is something that we often don't talk about, but it obviously is important for us to talk about because there are decisions made that affect us all, and so it may be taboo, but it's essential that we do it,” said Cornell sociology professor David Harris.

Marta Tienda, a Princeton sociology professor, agrees that the issue must be addressed.

"Race continues to play a very salient role in access to opportunity."

Some say minorities aren't getting the same access to those opportunities as their white counterparts.

In the 2000 to 2001 academic year, only 22% of US bachelor's degrees were awarded to minorities, and 20% of those degrees were awarded by historically black colleges.

The experts at Friday's conference all agree that while schools can't use points systems for admission, colleges do need to take race into account on a student-by-student basis.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Cornell's Center for the Study of Inequality

Man, how Orwellian does that sound?

"It's absolutely crystal clear that for this country to grow and develop we need to have diverse student bodies and diverse leadership opportunities for people from all backgrounds,”

As long as that "diversity" doesn't include "diversity of thought," I'm sure.

In the 2000 to 2001 academic year, only 22% of US bachelor's degrees were awarded to minorities, and 20% of those degrees were awarded by historically black colleges.

So, in other words, the majority of African-Americans attending college are not attending "black" colleges. One would think that was a GOOD thing: that our society was becoming more integrated (that, is, "diverse"). But NOOOOOO....these Cornell "experts" want MORE blacks at "black" colleges, that is, MORE, not less, segregation.

Ithaca is the City of Evil.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

City of Evil bump

[2banana]

Cornell's Center for the Study of Inequality has brought experts like Krislov together this weekend to try and hash out the rights and wrongs of affirmative action and college admissions.

Affirmative action is government sanctioned racism. Unless the "Study of Inequality" can even see that plain truth, it will be a dog and pony show.

[Soaring Feather]

bump

[GeronL]

bump

[randog]

Hmmmmmm....reading all the doublespeak from these "experts" leads me to one conclusion: without diversity, their jobs are in jeopardy. Surely a tragic situation that must be dealt with.

[Freedom4US]

"Affirmative action is something that we often don't talk about, but it obviously is important for us to talk about because there are decisions made that affect us all, and so it may be taboo, but it's essential that we do it,” said Cornell sociology professor David Harris.

What an astonishing statement. "Affirmative action" has been drilled into people's heads for 30 years now, what the hell is he talking about? He does allow that AA "affects us all", another brilliant piece of observation, of which surely justifies his salary. Nice work if you can get it, I suppose. Further, he somehow posits that since these decisions affect us all, they are "taboo" and by implication cannot be discussed. But soldier on! They will courageously assault the beach and talk about it anyway. Whew!

[Behind Liberal Lines]

What an astonishing statement. "Affirmative action" has been drilled into people's heads for 30 years now, what the hell is he talking about? He does allow that AA "affects us all", another brilliant piece of observation, of which surely justifies his salary. Nice work if you can get it, I suppose. Further, he somehow posits that since these decisions affect us all, they are "taboo" and by implication cannot be discussed. But soldier on! They will courageously assault the beach and talk about it anyway. Whew!

Well, let's face it: the entire M.O. of the civil rights movement since approximately 1976 (if not before) has been to hype up, if not manufacture, isolated incidents of lingering discrimination in order to justify the once-proud movement's continued existence in an increasingly colorblind society.

[expatpat]

It is clear that there have to be jobs created for the folks who majored in "Black Studies" and "Women's Studies", etc. These people have totally useless degrees, cannot compete against real grads and post-grads, so you need a Center with no value where they can function!

[Behind Liberal Lines]

and "Women's Studies", etc.

Don't you mean "womyn's studies"?