Dear colleague letter underdoutes access and success (opinion)

Dear colleague letter Published by Valentine’s Day by the Civil Rights Office of the US Education Department was shocking on the one hand, but predictable on the other hand, based on what we attended in the first month of this new administration. Among other things, it suggests that it is against the law to deduce the race from personal essays, to write evidence and to participate in extracurricular activities.

While this is clear EXCEED The intention and purpose of the decision of the Supreme Court of 2023 regarding the use of the breed in admission to the college and will probably be challenged in the courts, the letter, which signals the OCR investigation, sends a clear message: this administration tries to delete any mention or celebration of the race in the colleges and universities. our.

Do we really want to eliminate from our university campuses the Afro -American club, South Asia society or Latin Cultural Center? And if so, then what should you follow? Do we eliminate other cultural and identity -based entities such as women’s centers, Hillel houses and American Italian clubs? The OCR guide suggests that the feast of one’s legacy is “discrimination”. I could not agree more.

In 2016, the collaboration of the characters was founded as a school organization and colleagues with similar thoughts who sought to signal the importance of taking into account a student’s character in the admission process. We both served in the collaborator’s Board of Directors for a large part of its existence, before being Subsumed within the National Association for Admission to College. The character’s collaboration encouraged to visualize the students in a holistic way – consolidating the character traits that define them beyond the test scores, punctual environments, socio -economic status, sex or race.

The members of the collaborative character believed that the character of a student also mattered that the personality traits such as granulation, resistance, responsibility and others contributed to the potential and success of the individual. Much of this was based on context, regardless of race. But cultural environments (influenced by race in many cases) help to define us as individuals. A student from a single-parent family who denied the opportunity to participate in school activities, because he had to take care of a younger brother; a young man who had to work after school to help support his family after his father was placed on his handicap; The best student sportsman who spent as long as possible by helping teams as he himself practiced: these are examples of students who have character traits in the context of their environment.

The schools and colleges that work to promote the character in admission decisions understand that some students must have an “anchor” on campus that will help them to be successful in college. This is why we see clubs of all kinds-including religious, gender, race and culture, to name a few-likes for the general experience of the student’s college. In fact, non -studes appreciate this. We have our church groups and other groups based on age, sex and culture. It is a natural human tendency to gather with those who share similar environments – not with the exclusion to join other groups, but to feel an increased feeling of belonging and identification.

The character’s collaboration has claimed the belief that individuals have a lot to offer beyond normal measures or biographical indicators and that these additional features must be recognized with opportunity. Creating the results of the opportunity not only in access to higher education, but also in encouraging an environment in which all students, regardless of race, are supported to success. This will lead to a better prepared workforce and a more functional society – both of them are essential for a flourishing nation.

We understand how passionate this administration is in terms of racial discrimination and we would agree that checking a box on an application that shows a student’s race should not lead to a blow or sink into the chances of admission. But life is never so simple. Students are more than test scores or racial environments. What makes them tick? How do I use the resources they had to reach? How do you get up in school or home to help others? And how will we support them – each of them – when they join our schools and colleges? For access to college is one thing; Graduation is different. Turning the backs of affinity groups that support students is a huge mistake. We need to do our best to help students succeed academically and socially, creating an environment for every student leading to learning and developing relationships throughout life. Our nation deserves no less.