A few weeks ago, I was listening to the radio in my car as I was on my way to one of the local coffeehouses in the college town in which I reside. My radio just happened to be tuned into a talk show discussion concerning a group of high school students (all White and one Asian, according to the hosts) who were suing various universities across the nation for refusing them admission after not gaining admission to their preferred institution. Claiming racial discrimination by the institutions that denied them admission, the students were seeking the support of conservative groups to assist them in their efforts, according to the discussion.
As you probably can imagine, opinions expressed during the talk show ranged from across the political spectrum. Liberal callers were generally angered by the students’ reaction and they denounced the students for their disregard for cultural diversity. Conservatives listeners primarily lauded the student actions, saying that it was time that more people took a staunch stance against racial discrimination.
While I was deeply engaged with both, the story and the callers’ responses, one thing particularly annoyed me. It was that many callers, who harbored a conservative mindset, were under the impression that racial discrimination was the primary reason these students were denied admission to the schools of their choice. Unfortunately, I did not have my cell phone with me so I was unable to call and voice my opinion on the issue. Nonetheless, I was concerned and, quite frankly, disturbed by the frequently callous and uniformed dialogue I was hearing from many callers.
The remarks were typical of the comments I have heard countless times over the decades. “All minorities, especially Blacks and Latinos will get preferential treatment.” “Women will get special treatment too.” “It is really not fair that minorities get a huge advantage.” “Minorities with much lower test scores and mediocre grades will get admitted before well-qualified White students do.”
If you are a person of color older than 35, I am sure these quotes sound familiar to you. In fact, I have heard such rhetoric so many times that I cannot even begin to count. As I mentioned, due to the lack of a phone or access to one, I was unable to “mix it up” with the callers, however, had I had the opportunity to do so I would have informed them how misguided they were in their blatantly false assumptions.
For example, I would have informed them that I worked in an admissions office at the University of Maine as a graduate student in the mid-1990s and directly witnessed how the admission process works. I would have made it clear to these irate men and women that there are a number of factors that determine who will be granted or denied admission to a certain institution. The situation is not as “Black and White” (pun intended) as they had been led to believe.
While I would not be so sublime or intellectually dishonest to make the case the race had no influence at all, no matter how minimal, I would have made it clear that religion, grade-point average, economic situation, athletic, musical or artistic talent, geography, legacy status and test scores are among the variables that come into play.
