Asian-Americans in the Universities

This article was originally posted in Alexandria


Daily Caller has a penetrating article on the topic of Asian-American students in college that I think merits cross-posting. It raises the question: Are Asian-American students so successful academically that they are now being discriminated against in college admissions?

http://dailycaller.com/2011/12/03/some-asians-college-strategy-dont-check-asian/

My reaction to this article is a resounding "yes!". Asian-American students are running circles around the rest of us, not just Latinos or African-Americans, but whites as well. The reason is simply that they come from an immigrant culture that respects education and has a strong family culture.

What is wrong with that?

At the university where I teach (UC Irvine) more than half of our student body is Asian-American. So what? They are there because they have earned their place there. I have no problem with it. If our campus were one-hundred per cent Asian/Asian-American, I would be even happier.

The solution to this is not for colleges to devise ways of keeping more of them out, but for the rest of us to emulate them. I am a meritocracy guy. If most of the players in the NBA are African-American, what are we to do-restrict them in the NBA draft? C'mon!

When my daughter, who is one-half ethnic Mexican, took her SAT test, she fell asleep in the middle of the test. Yet, George Mason University admitted her because she checked "Hispanic" on her application. She lasted one quarter because she had not taken a requisite algebra course in high school-yet she was admitted in the first place.

Growing up in the Los Angeles area, and having lived in Thailand, I have a long personal history of associations with Asians and Asian-Americans. I will be the first to admit I am biased in their favor. One thing I have learned is that they are reluctant to be compared against other minorities. They are highly uncomfortable with the moniker of "model minority".

The point here is that they should not have to be reluctant to identify themselves as Asian-American on any application. It would be better altogether if we did away with these boxes on application forms. That any university would consider reducing the number of any ethnic group on their campus is shameful.