Spotlight on race-conscious college enrollment
Editor’s note: In an ongoing trial that began on Monday, Harvard University is accused of discriminating against Asian-American students in order to limit how many it admits. Three experts share views with China Daily’s Yao Yuxin on how the case reflects different perceptions of education and equality in the United States. Excerpts follow:
Personal ratings the bone of contention
US universities are used to using affirmative action to achieve campus diversity, and the proportion of Asian-American students is usually limited to under 20 percent, although the highest is around 40 percent. A diverse campus enables a university to keep the social balance.
It is well known that Asian-American students excel at getting good grades in class, but an excellent academic performance on its own may not accord with a college’s criteria for an eligible candidate. Considering other talents of applicants, like their sense of social responsibility, as Harvard does, is reasonable.
Many universities including Harvard are trying to achieve a comprehensive evaluation of those seeking admission, and “personal ratings” play a role in this. These personal ratings also cause the most dispute as Asian-American applicants complain about getting the lowest scores among all social groups. Certainly, subjectivity is inevitable in “personal ratings”, but this does not necessarily equate to discrimination.
Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences
Asian-American students should not be stereotyped
A ruling against Harvard would hurt diversity efforts across academia.
It’s important to have the understanding that students from minority social groups may never have the chance to study at a famous university without the special treatment of affirmative action.
However, first white students and now Asian-American students have complained that affirmative action policies are reverse discrimination and they have called for an end to the use of race in the university admission process, which has already received support from US Department of Justice and President Donald Trump.
Certainly, like students from other ethnic groups, some Asian-American students may cheat by claiming social activities or awards that are not theirs in order to present themselves in a better light. But the behavior of some individuals should not be used to stereotype and make an unfair judgment on all Asian-American students or to dismiss other achievements they may have made.
Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The lawsuit should alert it to be more careful when handling racial issues.
Han Dayuan, a professor at the Law School, Renmin University of China
Time to reflect on limitations of grade-seeking education
From the aspect of data analysis, AsianAmericans, who account for 6 percent of the total US population, account for 15-25 percent of the enrollment in Ivy League universities. Obviously, the percentage of Asian-Americans’ admissions is relatively high.
But universities in the US set a higher threshold for the admission of Asian-American students, who usually have to achieve higher SAT scores to get an equal admission chance with other social groups. According to Students for Fair Admissions, which launched the lawsuit alleging Harvard was discriminating against AsianAmerican students, a report in 2013 circulated within the university said that without race-conscious admissions, the proportion of Asian-American students among freshmen would be 26 percent instead of the current 19 percent.
Based on the policy of affirmative action introduced in the 1960s, most US universities take ethnicity into consideration in their admissions practices to ensure diversity. Thus Harvard denies using quotas or discriminating against applicants of any race and says its admission process is reasonable and legal.
To some extent, the problem is the different idea of education between grade-seeking Asian-Americans and multiple-criteria universities.
So besides making sure of the fairness of admissions practices, AsianAmericans should also reconsider their educational philosophy and methods, which are regularly lost in pursuit of high scores and prestigious universities.
Asian-Americans should review the way their children are educated and welcome a more open and diverse admission standard. Certainly, a change to the traditional grade-focused education would benefit all, especially Asian-American students themselves.
Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute