THE NEW YORK TIMES DID AN ANALYSIS OF ETHNIC
REPRESENTATION IN COLLEGE CAMPUSES.
THIS IS A BIG TOPIC BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT IS GOING AFTER UNIVERSITIES THAT STILL
IMPLEMENT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND SO WITH AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN
PLACE ON SOME COLLEGE CAMPUSES, TO MINORITIES STILL, OR EVER
HAVE ANY TYPE OF EQUAL REPRESENTATION AND THIS
ANALYSIS FOUND OUT THAT NO THEY DON'T.
HERE'S WHAT THEY FOUND.
FOR THOSE WHO MAKE THESE
ARGUMENTS THAT BLACK
STUDENTS JUST GET IN BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK, THAT IS NOT
REALLY WHAT HAPPENS.
IN FACT, EVEN WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOLS THAT DO STILL
IMPLEMENT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, WHAT THEY DO IS UTILIZE
RACE AS A FINAL DECISION-MAKER IF THERE ARE CANDIDATES THAT
ARE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AND IT IS REALLY HARD TO DIFFERENTIATE
BETWEEN THEM THOUGHT IT IS NOT LIKE THEY ONLY LOOK AT RACE.
THEY LOOK AT A LITANY OF THINGS AND THEN AT THE END IF
SOMEONE COMES FROM AN UNDERPRIVILEGED BACKGROUND
AND RACE IS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT, THAT MIGHT GIVE A
PARTICULAR APPLICANT A LITTLE BIT OF AN EDGE.
I DEFINITELY COME AT THIS FROM A DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE, NOT COMPLETELY BUT SIGNIFICANTLY.
1ST OF ALL ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THIS IS WE BEEN DOING IT FOR
35 YEARS AND IT STILL HASN'T HELPED SO IF IT WAS MEANT
TO CATCH UP MINORITIES TO THE PERCENTAGE OF THEIR
POPULATION, IT DID NOT WORK.
WE DID IT ON THE WAR ON DRUGS FOR NOT WORKING IN THE
CUBAN EMBARGO AND HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO KEEP DOING
SOMETHING THAT IS A WORKING?
THE REASON IS NOT WORKING IS NOT BECAUSE OF ANY OF THE RIGHT
WING POSITIONS.
IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES.
BY THE TIME TO GET TO COLLEGE IF YOU GREW UP IN A
SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND THAT IS DISADVANTAGEOUS IT IS TOO
LATE THAT YOU ALREADY WENT THROUGH TO BAD SCHOOLS,
THERE WEREN'T ENOUGH BOOKS TO TAKE HOME.
THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
IT'S ADDRESSING THE SYMPTOM RATHER THAN THE CAUSE AND I
KNOW WHY HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE AND I KNOW THAT
AFFIRM AND ASK AFFIRMATIVE ACTION WAS RIGHT THE FIRST
WAS OTHERWISE THERE WOULD'VE BEEN NO OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK-IN.
HAVING SAID THAT, IT HAS GONE ON TOO LONG.
THE SECOND PART IS THAT IT CREATES A STIGMA.
EVEN THE YOU ARE RIGHT THAT IT IS ONE OF THE MANY FACTORS
IN THE COURTS HAVE ADJUDICATED THAT BUT IT CAN'T BE THE
SOLE FACTOR ANYTHING AMONG THE FIVE STAR PEOPLE ASSUME IT
IS THE SOLE FACTOR.
THIS IS THE ARGUMENT THAT YOU MAKE THAT CONVINCES ME
THOUGH LEAST AS I DO NOT CARE WHAT PEOPLE ASSUME THAT
IS STIGMATIZED AS PEOPLE.
I DON'T CARE.
THE PEOPLE WHO LATCH ONTO THAT HATRED TOWARD BLACK
STUDENTS AND THEY SAY THE ONLY REASON THEY GOT AND WAS
BECAUSE OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.
THEY'RE GOING TO HIT ON THE STUDENTS ANYWAY SO I DON'T
WANT TO USE THAT OR THEIR FEELINGS OR EMOTIONS AS
SOME SORT OF FACTOR THAT IS GOING TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FAIR IS FAIR.
YOUR ARGUMENT ABOUT INEQUALITY BEGINNING AT GRADE SCHOOL
IS A GREAT ARGUMENT AND YOU ARE RIGHT.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION THE STRING TO PUT A BAND-AID ON A GUSHING
WOUND AND THAT GUSHING WOUND IS THE INEQUALITY WITH THE PUBLIC
SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO THE COUNTRY, THE WAY THAT THEY ARE FUNDED.
MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE FUNDED THROUGH PROPERTY TAXES SO
THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND.
IF YOU ARE LIVING IN A POOR NEIGHBORHOOD WERE PROPERTY
VALUES ARE LOW, PROPERTY TAXES WILL BE LOW AND SO FUNDING
FOR THE SCHOOLS IN THOSE AREAS ARE OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE LOW.
THERE IS NO EQUAL FOOTING.
THAT IS SOMETHING ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
LET ME GIVE YOU A FEW MORE STATS ON WHAT THIS ANALYSIS FOUND.
SO IN SOME CASES, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION DID HELP EQUALIZE THINGS
AMONG RACES ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES.
CALIFORNIA WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
ONE CIGARETTE OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, YOU SAW THE ENROLLMENT
OF BLACK STUDENTS AND HISPANIC TEENS GO DOWN CONSIDERABLY.
BUT WE HAVE TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT CONTEXT ON THAT
BECAUSE THE ONLY GROUP THAT WENT DOWN MORE WAS WHITE SO WAIT,
BLACKS AND LATINOS WENT DOWN AND SORTED WHITES, THEIR ROMAN.
IT'S BECAUSE ASIANS WENT UP TREMENDOUSLY ONCE YOU TOOK AWAY
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.
SO THE SHARE OF WHITE STUDENTS AT MANY OF THESE TOP SCHOOLS
ACCORDING TO THESE FINDINGS, IN SOME CASES, THE SHARE OF WHITE
STUDENTS FELL BELOW 50% AND SO THEY GIVE ONE EXAMPLE HERE OF
RICE UNIVERSITY IN HOUSTON.
WHITE FOLKS, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.
YOU TAKE AWAY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND THE SHARE OF WHITES GO WAY
DOWN.
LOOK, I THINK YOU TAKE AWAY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ARE MUCH
BETTER, MAKE IT BASED ON SOCIOECONOMIC GROUNDS AND
TAKE AWAY LEGACIES.
YES.
THAT IS A FAIR WAY TO DO IT.
DON'T JUST PUNISH THE NEEDY AND THE POOR.
DON'T GIVE ALL THE ADVANTAGES TO THE PRIVILEGED INLET LEGACY
ADMISSIONS INTO COLLEGE.
THAT'S OBVIOUSLY UNFAIR.