Quote Of The Day

Published on 8/4/2006 in affirmative action, General and Hispanics (Minority Issues). 8 Comments

“Indeed, I was told a chilling story of another Ivy League University that had two applicants from the same inner-city high school. Both were Hispanic. One applicant was a very good student who had participated in school and community affairs. The other was a mediocre student who had frequently clashed with authorities and even had a scrape with the law. A leading graduate of the school was trying to help the former student get admitted. The deciding factor might have come during his senior year when his parents managed to save enough money to move a few miles away to a suburb. “When I heard of their move I told the mother her son was doomed, because I knew how the admissions office thought,” the graduate told me. “Sure enough the more marginal kid got in, because he was viewed as a more ‘authentic’ representative of the Hispanic community.”"–John Fund, The Wall Street Journal editorial pages – discriminations blog has more

8 Responses to “Quote Of The Day”

Feed for this Entry Trackback Address
  • LaurenceB
    8/4/2006 at 7:26 am

    So… When this University’s Admissions Office evaluates two students whose credentials are roughly equal, it takes into account the economic situation of the students and favors the one who appears to be more disadvantaged.

    Why is that wrong? Educate me.

  • HispanicPundit
    8/4/2006 at 8:34 am

    I don’t see nothing wrong with that and in fact would rather Universities do that instead of affirmation action. My beef was with the ‘authentic’ part, implying that one hispanic is more ‘authentic’ than another.

    On a side note though, I also think that the student that “frequently clashed with authorities and even had a scrape with the law” is much less likely to graduate than the other student. I go to UCSD and going to a tough school requires more than a bit of discipline and self-control.

  • LaurenceB
    8/4/2006 at 10:03 am

    Ahhh. Yes, I agree that the “authentic” part is silly.

  • True_Liberal
    8/4/2006 at 10:57 am

    If the objective of an Ivy League University is to take a rebellious/antisocial (disadvantaged???) student and provide a corrective course for his life, then more power to them in this decision. A noble cause.

    But somehow I see a university in a different light – somewhere above the “correctional” stratum.

  • sonrisa morena
    8/4/2006 at 1:58 pm

    i see soooo many things wrong with this “quote of the day”!!! and im in disbelief that the only thing that you focused on was the word “authentic”….such is life.

  • HispanicPundit
    8/5/2006 at 12:25 am

    Spell it out then…I probably agree with you with regard to this specific quote.

  • mortalez
    8/6/2006 at 11:49 am

    Well as ablack male I understand what you mean but after moving out of my parents house in the suburbs and facing REAL life trying to face this cold cruel world I have since learned that my upbringing was not typical of other blacks I have incountered.

    And being that I am around hispanics alot(mostly date latinaz) I have met some coconuts, and they are not typical of the latin population in large in my city(which is majority hispanic).

  • True_Liberal
    8/8/2006 at 6:52 am

    It seems to me to be a wiser course to seek an environment where you are both 1) accepted and 2) productive. Won’t you discover more happiness there?

Leave a Reply