Comments on: DNA testing in College Admissions: A Little Affirmative Action talk for Christmas http://www.samjackson.org/college/2007/12/25/dna-testing-college-admissions-a-little-affirmative-action-talk-for-christmas/ all the exciting parts, none of the heavy debt burden Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:02:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: kofi http://www.samjackson.org/college/2007/12/25/dna-testing-college-admissions-a-little-affirmative-action-talk-for-christmas/comment-page-1/#comment-26576 kofi Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:25:42 +0000 http://www.samjackson.org/college/2007/12/25/dna-testing-a-little-affirmative-action-talk-for-christmas/#comment-26576 Not gonna happen. It sounds to me like this is an issue of insufficient minority recruitment and resentment more than affirmative action flaws. Affirmative action is a socio-political program, and is no more flawed than any of the other socio-political admissions practices it was designed to counteract. In fact, it benefits more white women than any other minority (Women were only admitted to Yale in the 1969, after the civil rights protests and constitutional amendments). We're too quick to forget about that. Besides, race isn't like blood types -- there isn't any distinct marker in anyone's genes to indicate racial origin, anyway. They use less than 1% of genetic data to guess where genes originated, and use that origin to predict race. But a black person could still have genetic characteristics more often associated with white people. A very slippery slope. Happy New Year (belated). Not gonna happen. It sounds to me like this is an issue of insufficient minority recruitment and resentment more than affirmative action flaws. Affirmative action is a socio-political program, and is no more flawed than any of the other socio-political admissions practices it was designed to counteract. In fact, it benefits more white women than any other minority (Women were only admitted to Yale in the 1969, after the civil rights protests and constitutional amendments). We're too quick to forget about that.

Besides, race isn't like blood types -- there isn't any distinct marker in anyone's genes to indicate racial origin, anyway. They use less than 1% of genetic data to guess where genes originated, and use that origin to predict race. But a black person could still have genetic characteristics more often associated with white people. A very slippery slope.

Happy New Year (belated).

]]> By: Sam Jackson http://www.samjackson.org/college/2007/12/25/dna-testing-college-admissions-a-little-affirmative-action-talk-for-christmas/comment-page-1/#comment-25576 Sam Jackson Wed, 26 Dec 2007 05:27:31 +0000 http://www.samjackson.org/college/2007/12/25/dna-testing-a-little-affirmative-action-talk-for-christmas/#comment-25576 Recruited athletes have the biggest advantage of anything--better than being a legacy, minority, rich, etc. So yeah, it's handy. The thing is, in this instance any legitimate goals of affirmative action would be totally undermined by someone looking for some tenuous tie to then misrepresent their heritage; it's sad that even now things get distorted more towards people like me (distinctly NOT inner city black youth, kind of thing) but to shift it another degree or two of separation really starts to make things ridiculous. hope you got good presents!! and see you soon in NY : ) Recruited athletes have the biggest advantage of anything--better than being a legacy, minority, rich, etc. So yeah, it's handy. The thing is, in this instance any legitimate goals of affirmative action would be totally undermined by someone looking for some tenuous tie to then misrepresent their heritage; it's sad that even now things get distorted more towards people like me (distinctly NOT inner city black youth, kind of thing) but to shift it another degree or two of separation really starts to make things ridiculous.

hope you got good presents!! and see you soon in NY : )

]]> By: Leah S http://www.samjackson.org/college/2007/12/25/dna-testing-college-admissions-a-little-affirmative-action-talk-for-christmas/comment-page-1/#comment-25574 Leah S Wed, 26 Dec 2007 05:16:54 +0000 http://www.samjackson.org/college/2007/12/25/dna-testing-a-little-affirmative-action-talk-for-christmas/#comment-25574 hi sam! i am not a regular reader of this blog, but i will offer my two cents on what i have learned about college admissions (not pertaining solely to affirmative action). these days there are so many overqualified students that find so many ways to make themselves look amazing on paper that you really have to use whatever edge you can. although i know that i am an intelligent student that could do well at any college, i have zero confidence that i would have gotten in early had i not been recruited. it sucks for other people who got rejected that i could do that, just as it sucks for white people when (sometimes) less qualified minorities use their race as leverage...but you really have to use what you can to get into college. the college process is very arbitrary--and it is a sad reality sometimes! merry christmas hi sam! i am not a regular reader of this blog, but i will offer my two cents on what i have learned about college admissions (not pertaining solely to affirmative action). these days there are so many overqualified students that find so many ways to make themselves look amazing on paper that you really have to use whatever edge you can. although i know that i am an intelligent student that could do well at any college, i have zero confidence that i would have gotten in early had i not been recruited. it sucks for other people who got rejected that i could do that, just as it sucks for white people when (sometimes) less qualified minorities use their race as leverage...but you really have to use what you can to get into college. the college process is very arbitrary--and it is a sad reality sometimes!

merry christmas

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