When reading over a magazine that detailing admission statistics for some colleges I looked at the column for minority enrollment. Next to it was "****". What did "****" stand for? At the bottom it explained that this meant Asian-Americans were not included in the statistic. Why not?
This always confuses me. I used to be a supporter of affirmative action. I believe that there are definitely some people who are at a disadvantage to others. I believe diversity in a college community is a good thing as different ideas, viewpoints, and cutlures create to the overall learning experience. But I just don't get why Asian-Americans are singled out as the minority that doesn't count.
Asian-Americans make up a about 4% of the population compared to 77% white and 13% black. They earn high-school diplomas 87% of the time and college degrees 47% if time. The percentage earning college degrees is by far the highest of any population group.
But why is it that Asian-Americans receive no preference and are even excluded in population statistics for minorities? Are not Asian-Americans more of a minority than African-Americans? There is the argument that African-Americans have always been disadvantaged because of the social structure of America. But my family came to American with no money and unable to speak the language. You can't really start out much worse than that. In a generation my family was able to send all of its children to college and all have obtained some measure of success.
So what is it? I'm not so sure. I would love to hear other people's opinion.
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2 comments:
As an SAT teacher, I see a lot of Asian students in my classes. (I agree that the term Asian is a bit too broad.) Obviously, generalizing about cultures is dangerous, but here goes: My Asian students (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Pakistani) tend to be more focused in their goals and their family life seems to be far more supportive of academic success than my non-Asian students. They seem to be held to a higher standard by their parents than are my white students. Sadly, I don’t have many black students, so I can’t really generalize about them except to say that the absence of black students perhaps speaks louder than their presence.
If my observations are close to the truth, and if Asians are more focused on personal responsibility and academic rigor, then it is completely unfair to discount their minority status when it comes to college admissions. You can’t reward a culture by marginalizing it.
After reading my blog again I want to clarify one thing. I am not suggesting that Asian-Americans should receive preference. In fact, I am saying quite the opposite. I am saying that nobody should receive preference based on race. Perhaps socio-economic situation would be a better indicator but not race. I am saying that it makes little sense to me that some "minorities" receive preferential treatment based on race but other "minorities" do not.
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