OP-ED: An (Non-American) Asian student’s take on the Current Affirmative Action Controversy
This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of PERIOD
While the recent lawsuit against Harvard lead to some attention-grabbing headlines in the media, it also publicized the ongoing debate about affirmative action in colleges. ‘Diversity’ is a habitually used term when it comes to universities justifying affirmative action. Many individuals de-cry and denounce this system as one of ‘unfair quotas’ which robs seats from ‘deserving’ students -usually people in positions of greater privileges- who are being denied the fruits of their herculean labors. In my opinion, there is a false conception that only black and Latina students benefit from affirmative ‘privilege’ (yes, I’ve heard it being referred to as such). What people don’t realize is that the ‘holistic’ approach followed by colleges takes into account so much more than just race- there are factors such as one’s socio-economic backgrounds, religions, family situations, etc. At the end of the day, marks are not the only deciding factors in college admissions.
As privileged individuals, we do not tend to realize how much the underlying, seemingly insignificant dynamics that we have taken for granted, have aided us in pursuit of our goals. A decent SAT score, perfect scores on the APs, consistently high grades and my recruitment to the Squash varsity team helped me earn a place at Yale. But wouldn’t all of the above be more impressive if I accomplished it while sleeping on a bench or working 3 jobs to support my family? I’ve been blessed with a stable family and supportive parents who may have not been affluent but did their best to obtain all that I needed. Did I work hard? Absolutely. However, I never struggled to procure the expensive SAT study guides, earn to support my family, stretch a budget to pay for my squash lessons, or be devoid of other countless factors that contributed to my success. If a student of similar aptitude hailed from a different background and had more obstacles to overcome e.g. drug addicted parents, homelessness, a sub-standard schooling, or lack of access to extra-curriculars, it would be infinitely more difficult for them to reach the same level of attainment. This is what makes the holistic approach towards admissions all the more important- there are talented students, hailing from such backgrounds, who can accomplish wonders once given a chance to discover their potential. While they may not have had access to pricy violin classes, squash lessons, private schooling, or ACT tutors, they have made a difference in their community, prospered despite socio-economic impediments, and proved their potential. While these students may not have perfect 1600s on their SATs and 15 different clubs on their resumes, they deserve their spots in colleges to access the resources needed to reach their full potential. Colleges appreciate the ability of these students to make the most of what they have and believe that their presence and experience brings something valuable to the table; more so than mere test scores. This is not to take anything away from students who have had access to opportunities and utilized all of them marvelously. We have taken the toughest classes, put our bodies through grueling sports, founded and worked in charitable organizations, headed clubs, and debate teams but it is important for us to acknowledge that much like the description of the ‘invisible, weightless backpack of special provisions’ in Peggy McIntosh’s essay (McIntosh, 1990), we have had the advantage of utilizing these prospects. It basically comes down to the fact that we expect more from people who have more.
The current storm, however, is centered around a population few tend to describe as a minority in general college populations. As someone who hails from an Asian background, I can buttress the veracity of the stereotypes surrounding Asian parents. From birth, the importance of getting (not just good but) perfect grades have been stressed on us. After realizing the importance of extra-curriculars, high-strung mothers, and anxious fathers have pushed their children into dance classes, violin lessons, debate clubs etc. Asians have been raised to slog through huge amounts of work and master any talent required to gain access to these top-class universities. However, here exists the difference in expectations between top Asian schools and US universities- scores are not the end-all, defining factor. While diversity has become an often thrown around term, it is considered an educational asset by most universities. Learning does not end in the classroom- listening to and empathizing with students with different backgrounds, different cultures and different hardships can enhance your learning experience, make you more open minded, and aid your growth as a global citizen. Liberal arts colleges aim to create well-rounded, thoughtful democratic citizens rather than generating sheltered, learning machines with high GPAs devoid of an understanding of the world’s shortcomings. Moreover, the point remains: if you do not wish to be surrounded by a diverse, engaging student body at a primarily humanities-based college, why apply to Harvard, Yale, Princeton etc. in the first place?
I believe that the current lawsuit does not embody a shared feeling among the Asian American community but merely a hyped, overly publicized part of it. This appears to be a segment of the community egged on by white opponents of affirmative action. The man behind this lawsuit, Edward Blum, has his own agenda as he has previously demonstrated in the case of Abigail Fisher (Giles, 2016). Blum promotes his ideologies of ‘race-neutral, fair representation’ (Gumbel, 2016) by attacking policies put in place to uplift minorities and ensure a just democratic process. When Abigail Fisher could not represent the picture of a ‘perfect student’, Blum turned to the more dependable demographic of Asian-Americans whose illusions of ‘hard work always pays off’ were shattered by the rejections from their dream schools. Blum does not personally care about the feeling of these students- they are pawns in his agenda of abolishing affirmative action policies to dismantle racial equity. His exploitation of the model minority myth is, unfortunately, being endorsed by the silence from the Asian-American community.
As Fang aptly articulated: “Merit is inseparable from a diverse student body” (Katherine Fang , 2018). Affirmative action is the first step taken to combat years of socio-economic inequality, disproportionate disciplining, and biases against minority groups. Ultimately, top colleges do not have enough seats for all applying candidates, all of whom believe they are worthy of the spots. The solution to this cannot be to abolish measures taken to diversify the student body. I do not want to go to a school filled with rich kids and Asian-Americans, which may end up being the case if an admissions committee only judges applicants by grades and extra-curriculars. As of now, there are already enough injustices that exist in the world of admissions such as the preference granted to legacies and to recruited athletes (of which I, myself, am one). I hope that the Asian American community and the Justice system see through the disingenuous charade of Blum and uphold the policies put in place to make the world slightly more equitable and to ensure a woke, driven future generation that is well aware of society’s problems.
Works Cited
Giles, E. (2016, July 29). BBC News.Retrieved August 9, 2018, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36928990.
Gumbel, A. (2016, January 5). Man behind gutting of Voting Rights Act: ‘I agonise’ over decision’s impact.Retrieved from The Guardian : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/05/edward-blum-voting-rights-act-civil-rights-affirmative-action
Katherine Fang . (2018, July 12). The Washington Post .Retrieved from I’m an activist for Asian Americans. I support affirmative action.: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/im-an-activist-for-asian-americans-i-support-affirmative-action/2018/07/12/f637fb54-7e0a-11e8-b660-4d0f9f0351f1_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5bfa2fdee148
McIntosh, P. (1990). White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming To See Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies. Retrieved from racialequitytools.org: http://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf
