Diversity is a recurring theme at UW-Madison and, as always, the discussion turns to race. Administrators who focus on the color of students’ skin continue to find a lack of diversity, which is a nice way of saying we are too white. Responding to this crisis of superficial uniformity has been a favorite task of chancellors, committees, and columnists for decades. While the overwhelming sea of good intentions is aimed at increasing diversity, I would argue that there are almost no students who pay any attention to race.
To their credit, students at Madison are relatively colorblind, choosing to judge their classmates on their character, effort and achievement, rather than on the color of their skin. While we do see acts of intolerance and ignorance on a daily basis, in general it is much harder to be racist than to be a minority on campus.
While Madison is overflowing with diversity of background, socioeconomic status, experience and opinion, promoters of diversity seem to only be satisfied with the type of diversity they can see. To achieve a racially balanced student population, the committees and professional administrators of our school continue to insist ethnicity plays a major roll in our admission process. The refusal to accept the type of diversity which matters has a detrimental effect on an otherwise open and unbiased campus. It also sends a negative message to minority students throughout the state.
When we set racial goals for our student body, as seen in programs like Plan 2008, it sends a strong message to minority students: It says “We don’t believe you can succeed on your own.” By admitting students based on race, we tell them that their achievements and hard work are not enough. Instead of treating blacks, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans like equals, we give them a hand out by helping them overcome their supposed handicap. We do not want to help solely minorities, we want to help everyone who has not had equal access to opportunity. While it is true poorer students have a harder time getting an upper-level education, being poor is not an ethnicity.
The effect of racial quotas and goals on white students is extremely complex. Race-based efforts provide a mental obstacle for Caucasian students to overcome. While the overwhelming majority of students actively seek out and love interacting with diverse and new people, race-based admissions can bring up an unsettling idea of how that minority student sitting next to you in lecture got into UW. However, without racial considerations in our admissions process, there would be no reason to suspect something different about that minority student from class because each person of color would have an equally unique background compared to a white student. But by focusing on the color of their skin rather than just their achievements, the university administration implants the idea that there might be something different about minority students: They might not be as smart.
If all admission criteria and population goals were aimed at getting the best and the brightest students to come to Madison, there would be no reason to believe a student got in because of their race. It makes sense to expect minority students to drop out at higher rates than white students now, since some minority students were not admitted solely on their ability to succeed at a Big Ten school.
We need to show that we believe race has nothing to do with a student’s potential. To do this, we must invest heavily to make sure all Wisconsin residents have the same access to quality education and resources and then we must forget about race. Trying to artificially diversify our campus through racial goals does nothing to help the poor and undereducated but, instead, perpetuates racial stereotypes and indoctrinates minorities into a system of handouts.
Andrew Carpenter is a senior majoring in communication arts and psychology. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
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One of the most important forms of diversity present on any campus is not the diversity in race, but the diversity in opinion and belief. Schools should stop counting the different races they have on campus as the level of diversity. I would rather have a school where I can learn things based on the different personal backgrounds, stuggles, and beliefs of my fellow classmates. It shouldn't matter what race those classmates are!
Schools should not even ask what race a student is, seeing how it is not an essential part of the applying or admissions process. Colleges already judge us base us on our grades, community service, and test scores, why should we let them add race to that list as well. Race does not affect our desire and want for a higher education and it shouldn't . When I say that I am caucasian on college apps I wonder why it is necessary. I don't want to be admitted to a college because I am a certain race, but instead on how much I want to learn and how much I have worked for it. We all have to go to school, we all have the oppertunity to learn something if we try, race is not a factor in that. Nor should it be when we choose where we want to learn.
Race Matters by Cornel West
Jefferson's Pillow by Roger Wilkins
Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan Johnson
I am a PEOPLE scholar and was also a part of the Information Technology Academy (which is also a Plan 2008 program) throughout all four years of high school. During every school year, I sacrificed my Saturdays twice a month for 8 hours a day, to learn various technology skills and programs, college skills, and career skills. I wrote letters to important officials like Governor Doyle and the superintendent of Madison schools and made PSAs about various subjects that affected the community. During the summers before my freshman and sophomore years I participated in two week summer camps to learn about hardware and building websites. During the summers before my junior and senior years I worked in two different internships where I was able to utilize the computer skills I learned throughout ITA. To continue to stay in ITA I had to keep both my grades and attendance (both at school and ITA) up to par.
Less than a week after I graduated high school I participated in the Summer Collegiate Experience which is an 8 week program to help with the transition from high school to college. It was rigorous work, but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to do it, because it made being here a lot less challenging and prepared me for the fall.
The programs under Plan 2008 are handouts you say? I disagree. The scholarship must be EARNED. If you do the work, get the required GPA then you will get the scholarship. If you slack off and fall behind and do not do anything to improve your situation you can say goodbye to your scholarship.
How can you say “It makes sense to expect minority students to drop out at higher rates than white students now, since some minority students were not admitted solely on their ability to succeed at a Big Ten school.” Have you interviewed minority students who have dropped out? You really think that all minorities who drop out, have dropped out because they can’t SUCCEED? That may be the case for some but not all. Did you ever consider that finances may be an issue or there may be family/ personal problems going on that cause them to drop out? No you haven’t.
Next time you want to talk about how these programs are “handouts”, make sure you know what the requirements are and how much hard work goes into these programs before you make such a ridiculous statement.
Oh, one last thing….you say it is much harder to be racist than to be a minority on campus? Please…give me a break.
yeah i do tht everyday, i look to the different cultured people around me and wonder how the hell they got into madison, BULL. Yes, people can be shallow, but a MAJORITY of people are not THAT shallow. Maybe review your offensive oppinion before posting this Badger Herald.
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