How do you add diversity?

[Faeelin]

So, at Law Review Orientation, the Diversity Committee gave us a discussion of what they do, and how. Essentially they pick X number of students in the top half of the class for Law Review based on race, gender, socioeconomic background, nationality, academic background, sexual orientation, etc. etc.

However, there's a bit of a problem with the set up. Law review, and indeed the other journals, do not ask people to fill out a questionnaire asking about their diversity. Instead, diverse students are chosen by their application essay, which is supposed to discuss why they want to be on the journal. I'm sure everybody here can see the problem with that.  My question about "Doesn't this encourage students to box themselves in and mention their ethnicity or "diversity" over why they actually want to be here?" was kind of ignored, but I am curious.

[Caliga]

So, at Law Review Orientation, the Diversity Committee gave us a discussion of what they do, and how. Essentially they pick X number of students in the top half of the class for Law Review based on race, gender, socioeconomic background, nationality, academic background, sexual orientation, etc. etc.

[Valmy]

I would write: 'As a gay female native american-Latina mix I can say that my view on this particular court case differs from the standard heteronormative white male view of the world.'

[Eddie Teach]

I would write: 'As a gay female native american-Latina mix

It all makes sense now! 

[Faeelin]

I dunno. I'm not averse to the idea of giving people from poor backgrounds a leg up. Some guy from a busted up coal mining town in Kentucky isn't gonna be as able to hack it as well as the daughter of a partner at a BigLaw firm, no?

[Faeelin]

I would write: 'As a gay female native american-Latina mix I can say that my view on this particular court case differs from the standard heteronormative white male view of the world.'

You laugh, but I avoided mentioning I was gay on my application because I thought it would cheapen my application. I got a few dirty looks when I mentioned that.

[Ed Anger]

I dunno. I'm not averse to the idea of giving people from poor backgrounds a leg up. Some guy from a busted up coal mining town in Kentucky isn't gonna be as able to hack it as well as the daughter of a partner at a BigLaw firm, no?

Something like Berea college as a model?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berea_College

[PDH]

I would prefer they go to Beria college.

[Ed Anger]

I would prefer they go to Beria college.

[Josquius]

I've never heard of this Berea college before...Quite unfortunate for them that someone called Beria would pop up as what he was....


Anyway- giving advantages to poorer kids is a very very good move that I wholeheartedly support.
A kid from a poor family and a real shit hole of a place who does slightly worse than little miss over-privileged with her best school in the country and private tutors and whatnot stands out as the better candidate in my book.
Mixing this in with diversity of getting more blacks, gays, etc...though....not good at all.
Especially on the gay angle, that is just worthy. Do they test you to prove you actually are gay? Though Faelin thought it would cheapen his application I doubt many others would be so sporting.

[Caliga]

It's fairly well regarded here in Kentucky.  The best college in the state is Centre College.  The colleges are fairly close to one another (Berea is in the town of Berea, and Centre is in the town of Danville).

[Valmy]

It's fairly well regarded here in Kentucky.  The best college in the state is Centre College.  The colleges are fairly close to one another (Berea is in the town of Berea, and Centre is in the town of Danville).

I remember Centre well they were in the same conference with my school.  I remember their volleyball team had this really peppy girl with pigtails on the team who would never shut up during the match:

'Come on Centre!'
'Let's go Centre!'
'Wahoo!  Centre!'

And so forth...boy did she love to say the word 'Centre'.  And she wasn't even on the bench cheerleading...she was actually playing on the court while she was doing this.

[Malthus]

The best solution to the problem of unearned educational advantage is to address education at the primary level with improvements to schooling for those in less affluent areas, so that these pupils can later compete on an objective level with those from socially advantaged backgrounds.

There is no good purpose to be served, and many bad unintended consequences, to "adding diversity" by wieghing the balance in favour of certain backgrounds and ethnicities in what is, after all, professional education.

People at the professional level want results. The client simply does not care if you have "unearned advantage" because of your background. If you are having open heart surgery, or are facing ruin or imprisionment in a lawsuit, you want the *best professional* as far as it can be determined - whether or not they are the "best" because, in part, their ancestors were as lilly white as some brand of toilet paper, or Black as coal.

Perhaps it is different in a purely academic humanities discipline where "results" are highly subjective. In medicine and law, results are quite objective - the patient either dies or recovers, the lawsuit is either lost or won. 

[Faeelin]

People at the professional level want results. The client simply does not care if you have "unearned advantage" because of your background. If you are having open heart surgery, or are facing ruin or imprisionment in a lawsuit, you want the *best professional* as far as it can be determined - whether or not they are the "best" because, in part, their ancestors were as lilly white as some brand of toilet paper, or Black as coal.

Perhaps it is different in a purely academic humanities discipline where "results" are highly subjective. In medicine and law, results are quite objective - the patient either dies or recovers, the lawsuit is either lost or won.

On the other hand, consider the marketing implications from a Law Review that has an all white, predominantly male student body.

[FunkMonk]

I would prefer they go to Beria college.