the eye of Nova's mind

I hate to say it, but if the probability of black students getting admitted is THAT dependent on unfair advantages, there SHOULD be less of them there. If their scores don't match the scores of those they're competing against, why should they win? Affirmative action had its uses in the sixties, but I think that time's passed. In particular, I think that continuing to have a race-based advantage system in place basically tells black students two things: you aren't good enough to do it on your own, and you don't HAVE to be good enough to do it on your own. I have a problem with both statements. Equal treatment doesn't mean just equal privileges; equal responsibilities, equal challenges, equal expectations are also part of it. I've said that in the male/female privilege discussion, and I feel the same about the black/white case.

That said, I'm still in favor of programs that try to get minority students into science/engineering fields, mainly through targeted programs at the jr. high and high school level. I worked on a program targeted at getting high school girls interested in micromachining a few summers ago, and the results were fairly cool. I just don't think that, should they apply to, say, UM Engineering school, that they should get "extra points" for being female. They should have to compete on equal footing once they get to the game! But getting them interested, that's a different story.