dChan
Cee !!y1MFhZSkoo ID: 05fa10 Special Treatment for Minority Students Could Backfire June 10, 2020, 1:29 p.m. No.951   🗄️.is 🔗kun

  • 2nd revision by author

  • All instances of black and white made lower case

  • One typo corrected in 1st revision

 

OP-ED

Special Treatment for Minority Students Could Backfire

by anon

 

In the aftermath of rioting and looting that followed the death of George Floyd, there have been repeated calls to give black students unequal (preferential) treatment on university campuses nationwide. Is this a good policy, or will it have side-effects detrimental to blacks?

 

Students at the University of California at Los Angeles demanded postponement of final exams for black students. At UC San Diego, students and faculty argued for "universal passing grades for Black [sic] students in response to the death of George Floyd." The University of Washington heard demands for a "gentle grading policy for Black [sic] students" in response to recent social unrest. UCLA Professor Gordon Klein merely asked the reasonable question of how a person's racial background could even be determined, in light of online-only courses during the current semester. He was put on leave after rejecting the request to postpone finals for black students. Threats of violence ensued, necessitating police protection.

 

Let us entertain a thought-experiment. What if universities acceded to such demands and gave black students automatic passing grades during the current unrest (or any time)? The policy would quickly gain notoriety. Employers considering job applicants would become aware that a degree from University So-and-So has a different meaning if the candidate is black. The unfortunate victim of this double standard may or may not have actually attended courses or successfully completed a final exam. The degree is no longer an accurate metric of academic achievement. This puts the hiring manager into a difficult bind. Should they apply the same standard to all job applicants? Should they assume that all black graduates with the same degree as white graduates are less qualified? Might the employer be subject to claims of racial discrimination, if they prefer to hire graduates who actually attended class and actually passed final exams, rather than a rubber-stamp degree conferred under a "gentle grading policy"?

 

The most empowering policy is equal treatment for all people, rather than special treatment based upon a person's skin color, racial identity, ethnicity, sex/gender, age, or any other physical characteristic. Hiring should be based upon merit rather than quotas. An empowering society is one that gives every person an equal chance to succeed, and rewards hard work and accomplishment.

 

Martin Luther King said that people should not be evaluated based on the color of their skin. Yet aren't such demands a kind of reverse racism that asks us to do exactly that?

 

[1] UCLA Professor Placed on Leave After Refusing to Give Black Students Special Treatment (Postponement of Exams), https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/06/10/ucla-prof-placed-on-leave-after-refusing-to-postpone-exams-for-black-students/