This year the University of Chicago has 1,262 new freshmen. 80 of those students are black...and all-time high for the university.
The 97 Hispanic students equals the second highest number for that ethnic group.
However, the two groups together are still less than the total of 191 Asian American freshman students.
The whole equal opportunity thing doesn't sit right with me.
I applied for a position once that asked for someone with a higher education degree (PhD, MFA, MSc), could speak an Asian language (I can speak 3) and had experience living overseas - (Asia for 15 years).
I could NOT get an interview because I was white.
I remember a time when I was in the Navy - a great organization that pushes equal opportunity. We had token minority students in our classes that were in way over their head - everyone knew it.
Equal opportunity needs to be granted to kids in kindergarten on up...NOT AFTER high school, I think.
What do you think?
I actually go to the U of C.
Here's the thing. The school sits in a ghetto (or at least very near a ghetto, because Hyde park is mostly students and academics), so they do all these initiatives (mostly education, but stuff like loaning out their private police force to the area) to help the neighborhood. Accepting black students, especially from the South Side is part of that.
It's kind of unfair though, because it seems that either all these students do is spend all their time studying just to make a decent grade, or don't really participate in the academic life of the college at all, and are just students in name. Keep in mind that I'm only speaking of the unqualified minority students... there are many that are perfectly qualified. While opportunity is wonderful and so forth, U of C is really HARD, and it seems unfair to admit anyone on the basis of race if they're just going to continually struggle. I feel like in that case you'd be better off going to a state school and having some time for other things than academics. On the other hand, there are things here which you can't find at your state school, and by being enrolled here, you would have access to all of that.
I would be in complete agreement with you, except for the people who run the cafeterias, security around here, who are all black and from the South Side, and all small-minded, mean, miserable people. A lot of people talk about economic opportunity and so forth, but these people do it to themselves, I swear -- the ghetto seems more a mindset than a place. I feel like, if you can find a young person who is from this and willing to work hard and improve him/herself, then maybe he/she should get a hand up.
Otherwise, I agree, it's really hard to justify bringing in minority students just for being minorities.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 2, 2007 5:28 AM | Permalink to Comment