Posted on 10/17/2018 10:25:07 AM PDT by reaganaut1
BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University intentionally uses a vague “personal rating” to reject Asian-American applicants in favor of students from other racial backgrounds, according to lawyers on one side of a trial that began Monday and carries weighty implications for dozens of other U.S. colleges.
Harvard’s legal team denied any discrimination in its opening statement at Boston’s federal courthouse, saying race is just one factor that’s considered and can only help a student’s chances of getting admitted. In its hour-long opening, lawyers for Students for Fair Admissions accused Harvard of intentionally discriminating against Asian-Americans through a personal rating score that measures character traits such as “courage” and “likeability.”
The case drew dozens of spectators who packed into the courtroom and two overflow rooms Monday, some wearing blue shirts that read “Defend Diversity” in support of Harvard. A day earlier, backers from both sides hosted dueling rallies in the Boston area.
The trial began nearly four years after Harvard was sued by Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit based in Arlington, Virginia, that believes schools should not consider race when selecting students. Since then, Harvard and other elite colleges have faced mounting scrutiny over the way they factor race into admission decisions, a topic that has drawn renewed interest among federal authorities.
The suit says Asian-American applicants bring stronger academic records than any other race, yet they are admitted at the lowest rate. The group says that’s because Harvard consistently gives them lower scores on the personal rating, which, according to a document revealed by the group Monday, is only loosely defined in Harvard policies.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
That doesn't go at Harvard.
To the extent that that is true, nobody should go to Harvard.
Yes, they do struggle.
You may have dealt with bright affirmative action students who aren’t struggling but many of these minorities are not prepared for what they face at a competitive college. Half the kids sitting around them are straight 800 SAT kids or close to it.
Harvard, MIT and other schools have intensive programs to try to bring these AA students up to speed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Grade inflation is pervasive, that’s true, but you’re going to find far fewer AA cum laude graduates.
Or Jewish, I think. Jews and East Asians the biggest losers when penalized for ethnicity.
This is, of course, a logical impossibility.
However, it is an absolute political necessity.
So political necessity trumps logical impossibility, and the impossible is true.
He knew his "protegees" were miserable and flunking out after a semester or two, but he actually didn't care because his obscene financial rewards were based on their personal pain and academic failure.
What a pig he was. I rarely hate people, but I hate him even now.
If it helps one set of applicants, then it hurts another.
I remember the story as Summers demanded that West teach more/rap less (as in spending academic time making rap records...)
Well it was multiple issues, as reported vaguely through rumors started by West through his pals. I don’t think West or Summers ever commented directly on the matter, that I saw anyway.
Summers had a meeting with West in which he challenged West to do more and better academic work (i.e., write a “major book” etc.). West’s written academic output was rather fluffy (politically correct left-wing b.s.) and he had not done anything like the level of what is usually required before one is given the illustrious “University Professor” title at Harvard (which, at the time, was limited to under 20 profs out of 1,000 or so in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences).
Yes, Summers reportedly criticized the involvement of West with the Al Sharpton “presidential campaign” ... joke that it was. Summers did not consider that a worthy activity for one of Harvard’s allegedly top professors.
West had been appointed by the predecessor of Summers. Even though Summers is a liberal Democrat, he was concerned that West was something of an embarrassment to Harvard academic standards. Of course, that is exactly what West heard/sensed from Summers, I’m sure it was not too subtle. But rather than accept the challenge and raise his game, West decided to play the “racial grievance card” and storm out of Harvard complaining about Summers.
But as far as your question, yes, loose grading standards by West were also part of the discussion, as reported at the time. Summer was trying to appeal West rationally to improve, but West took major offense... after all, he had been allowed to coast his whole career with low academic and intellectual standards, who the hell was Summers to tell him that was not good enough now???
>>Yes, they do struggle.
Like that idiot running for congress as a socialist with an econ undergrad degree who graduated with honors? I don’t recall the school but it appears you seem to think what goes on at these schools is similar to what went on when you and I were in college. It isn’t. For a ton of reasons, professors stopped giving out low grades. You may have one well qualified student sitting next to what you’re calling AA who isn’t qualified. But don’t act like they’re competing against each other like in graduate school. The qualified student will study, perform, and get an A, or High Pass. The “AA” student may or may not try, but will get a B or C or Pass. Sure, there is probably a minimum level of attendance and work they have to do but I’d suspect what you’re calling intensive programs are mostly places these schools dump these kids and hope they stay with it.
I’m not contending that they don’t go to class and don’t show up for tests. But when they do, they don’t routinely flunk out. There is peer pressure here to do a minimum level of work and the school knows that.
I know people who went to Harvard in several periods within the last 30 years. Getting IN is hard; getting out is not. First level honors isn’t difficult either. Go to a school like the U of Chicago and see what struggling really means for even good students. At least it was that way a decade ago.
You have some ideas about what is really going on in higher education. They are not accurate.
Minority students are not breezing through Harvard and the other Ivies. Many of them are struggling. Many of them are seeking out courses and majors that are not highly competitive. The Ivies are providing resources to keep them enrolled.
Many years ago, UC Berkeley accepted a large number of minority students. Many of the affirmative action students flunked and dropped out. Berkeley tightened their standards and only accepted the students who met their requirements. Lo and behold, their graduation rate increased significantly and their drop out rate dropped.
It was the AA students who were flunking out. If they had gone to a less competitive school they might have graduated and maybe graduated cum laude. Because of Berekely's 'do good' policies they were drop outs instead.
>>You have some ideas about what is really going on in higher education. They are not accurate.
Whatever. I know profs, grads, etc. People directly involved. You?
Your statement of “Many of them are seeking out courses and majors that are not highly competitive. The Ivies are providing resources to keep them enrolled.” all but agrees with the point I’m trying to make.
I’m not talking about Berkeley. I don’t know people with a history there. I do, however, know people who have been at Harvard from the mid-80s until recently. I went to law school with a few. I’ve practiced with a few.
You can think and say what you want; I stand by my comments. I guess it is possible that your experience and mine is a bit different and we’re both right. But I have no reason to make this stuff up. And other than your simple assertions, you haven’t shown anything I’ve said to be false. Harvard still gets, and probably will forever get, top quality students — not due to the overall quality of education but the connections and prestige of the school. But it IS possible for non-top tier students to get through there and other places like that without struggling. I gave you one example - though I don’t recall where she went. No way that intellectual midgit was a top tier student.
He knew his “protegees” were miserable and flunking out after a semester or two, but he actually didn’t care because his obscene financial rewards were based on their personal pain and academic failure.
* * *
Wow, that’s quite a practice. So was hiring Native Americans a way to fulfill a first year quota or something?
Exactly.
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