Brown University is implementing a change to its graduate school application that will allow applicants to “self-identify” as persons of color. Multiple efforts by The College Fix to clarify the details of this change were ignored by campus officials.

The policy comes as a result of complaints made by graduate students on the Graduate School advisory board that international and Asian American students are not treated as members of historically underrepresented groups by the university, according to The Brown Daily Herald.

One graduate student, Lydia Kelow-Bennett, told The Herald that this decision has led to “institutional invisibility” for these students. Brown defines historically underrepresented groups as “American Indian, Alaskan Native, African American, Hispanic or Latinx and Native Hawaiian and/or Pacific Islander.” The school’s diversity initiatives are intended to benefit members of these groups.

Brown’s criteria for historical underrepresentation “caused some students to not receive invitations to certain events, such as a multicultural student dinner,” The Herald reported.

How allowing applicants to self-identify as persons of color will affect policy relating to the diversity initiatives, and whether the university will take any steps to verify applicants’ self-identification, remain unclear. The Fix reached out multiple times to Brown’s graduate admissions office to inquire into how Brown would ensure that applicants were telling the truth about their self-identified ethnicity. The office did not respond.

The Fix also reached out to Marlina Duncan, the dean of diversity initiatives, to learn whether or not self-identifying as a person of color has any impact on an applicant’s prospects for admission. Duncan did not respond.

Reached by email, campus spokesman Brian Clark provided The Fix with a link to an article from Brown’s online news department celebrating the graduate school’s “most diverse class to date.” The article did not actually address the matter of minority self-identification.

When pressed about the change to the graduate school application–specifically how the option to “self-identify” as a minority differs from the standard ethnicity queries on other college applications–Clark gave no response.

Other universities allow students to “identify” a certain way in order to qualify for admissions or receive various benefits. The University of California, Davis, awards financial grants to students who identify as LGBT or as an illegal immigrant.

And in recent years, several all-women’s colleges have permitted men who identify as women to apply. Some sororities have followed suit.

Link

so years ago if you had a drop of anything but white blood you were considered 'not white'

as in mixed heritage, and it was bad juju etc etc

now, you can just say, 'Hey I wanna be (fill in the blank ) color today!!' and all is good,


strange times

I’ve maintained for years that job applications, school applications, etc. should not have spaces for race or gender; imagine a world where you were judged by your skills, education, or training?

Crazy idea, right?

If only my honkey ass could get more melanin by simply declaring it so.

I love beaches, sunshine, surfing, and such, but it doesn't love me as much as I love it.

What I wouldn't give for olive skin.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I’ve maintained for years that job applications, school applications, etc. should not have spaces for race or gender; imagine a world where you were judged by your skills, education, or training?

Crazy idea, right?

Indeed.

I'd love to see such things disappear entirely. Names, even. You either have the necessary resume or you don't, based on experience and demonstrated skills, and not on legacy, fame, skin color, race, country of origin, sex, or anything else unrelated to the job itself.

I want to apply as a meat Popsicle....

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
If only my honkey ass could get more melanin by simply declaring it so.

I love beaches, sunshine, surfing, and such, but it doesn't love me as much as I love it.

What I wouldn't give for olive skin.

I have had red hair all my life and been sunburned within an inch of said life several times. I’ve learned to take precautions, as they say.

Long ago, at OCS, one of my roommates was the blackest man I have ever known. He was DARK black. He was an ET, a NESEP on his way to Nuclear Power School. Anyway, the subject of sunburn came up. I told him he was lucky he wasn’t bothered by such things. He disagreed, he claimed he did get sunburned and related how and when, and so forth. I guess you couldn’t tell by looking or something. I was astonished.

So if a school has a graduate level student population of 100% white males between 22 and 25 years of age but 53% of said students self identify as a middle aged black woman, that will make the school socially acceptable to the NAACP - right?

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
I want to apply as a meat Popsicle....

LMAO! OK Korben...

A plus for this is I guess affirmative action is pretty much dead. At this school anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
A plus for this is I guess affirmative action is pretty much dead. At this school anyway.

Negative. White males will continue to be discriminated against.

quote:

Originally posted by Sock Eating Golden:

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
A plus for this is I guess affirmative action is pretty much dead. At this school anyway.

Negative. White males will continue to be discriminated against.

Only if you pretend to be one.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
The policy comes as a result of complaints made by graduate students on the Graduate School advisory board that international and Asian American students are not treated as members of historically underrepresented groups by the university, according to The Brown Daily Herald.

Trying to get the Asians on the side of the race hustlers, I see.

I'm not buying it. Asians typically don't whine and cry racism when things don't right.

Isn't it at UCLA and other SOCAL schools where Asians have to score higher on SAT exams for admission in order to curb the admission of Asian students?

Though I do remember one of the reasons, they didn't specify specifically, why I was not accepted into the UNC MBA program was because I didn't meet the "potential contribution to the diversity of the class." No shit that's what the rejection letter said along with other things.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I’ve maintained for years that job applications, school applications, etc. should not have spaces for race or gender; imagine a world where you were judged by your skills, education, or training?

Crazy idea, right?

I believe names should also be left off.

Didn't some guy who was pretty famous say something years ago about being judged on content of character and not by color of skin?

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:

And in recent years, several all-women’s colleges have permitted men who identify as women to apply. Some sororities have followed suit.

Sneaky bastards. Wish I thought of that...

It's about fucking time:

I identify myself as a black/Indian handicapped female Master'd prepared with 2 illegitimate/pseudo children.

Cha-ching

One of my sons friends had a Perfect SAT Score.. So when he applied to colleges. he put that he was Native American. He figured he was a 7th generation American so therefore Native. He got Full ride offers to all the Ivy league schools, That were later taken away. I guess he could have gotten into Brown.