Why is everyone on the right so completely sure that the new Comprehensive Admissions is an underhanded way of affirmative-ing in Minorities?

Just to review, Comprehensive Admissions is the new way students are admitted to the UC system. The main change is that instead of '50 -75 percent' being admitted on academic criteria alone, now everyone is graded on more nebulous life achievement stuff. Horowitz's claim: this is an underhanded trip around Proposition 209.

But their whole thesis is based on one unproven hypothesis: that admissions staff is hopelessly Leftist and biased towards Minorities. Okay, maybe this is true. It seems probable that the kind of people drawn to admissions are the warm-hearted Liberal types with a passion for social engineering. But it's not hardly proven.

And I can think of numerous groups that will benefit from this a lot more than minorities will. How about immigrants-- especially refugee immigrants? My friend Catherine emigrated from Chechneya to Israel to Canada to California. This is all essay gold. And it certainly seems like lower grades-- higher social types like the Artists and Band kids will benefit big time from not depending on bad SATs.

The people who'll get screwed are the quiet grade grubbers: Engineers. Pity poor Johnny Computer Science; he can't depend on grades and SATS to get him in anymore, and exciting clubs and life experiences are not his cup of tea. Not surprising that Engineers-- who pay no attention to University politics-- ended up with a system that will probably screw them over.

So unless Horowitz's nightmare of 'significant life experiences' being defined as 'being a minority' is true, minorities will only increase their representation if they do in fact have the kind of social and artistic achievements that will be rewarded under the new system. Do they? Damned if I know; what kind of social and artistic achievements can you do in inner-city Oakland? Are they enough?

And how come Asians aren't pissed? Every Asian I know believes the stereotype that their major strength is high grades and SATs. Certainly the Regents knew it. They've done extremely well under the current system; doubtful that the new one will benefit them. After all, someone has to lose out. Email This Post!