The TRUTH Will Make You Smile
Headlines blared that Harvard won the the case against SFFA (Students for Fair Admissions). The TRUTH is that SFFA won in substance. (I) Harvard changed its admissions standards just before the trial in order to win the legal battle -- changes that increased greatly the number of AsAms admits in 2019, and (II) Even then Harvard's legal victory is likely short-lived, possibly to be overturned if & when its appeal reaches the Supreme Court in 2 to 3 years.
[A] More AsAm Applicants Admitted at Harvard in 2019 Than Ever Before
The 2 changes were:
(1) "an applicant's race or ethnicity should not be considered in assigning the personal rating," and
(2) A new guideline, applied to 2019 applicants, that stated: "It is important to
keep in mind that characteristics not always synonymous to extroversion are
similarly valued. Applicants who seem to be particularly reflective, insightful,
and/or dedicated should receive higher personal ratings as well."
Recall that AsAms were rated the lowest of all races in the "personality rating" and many AsAms are perceived to be more introverted. The changes raised the "personality" ratings for AsAms for the 2019 applicants.
Result? "More than a quarter of the students accepted identified as Asian this year, the highest number ever, up from twenty-three per cent in 2018 and twenty per cent in 2014, when the suit was filed." The quote is from an excellent 10/7/2019 New Yorker article by Prof. Jeannie Suk Gersen of Harvard Law School. Its title is "Many Sins of College Admissions". See the impact of this lawsuit?
[B] Harvard's Legal Victory May Most Likely Be Short Lived.
CONCLUSION:
Does That Mean That the AsAm Community Actually Won?
NO! AsAm youths now face a less harsh barrier in college admissions, thanks to Ed Blum and a gathering of AsAm activists. Shamefully, the majority of AsAms,
especially our "rich and powerful", were "missing in action" in this battle for our children's future.
Our community produces way too many "success robots",
who know how to make money & nurture fame & power but who are timid;
who are emotionally without the social conscience for justice and equity, and
without the empathy that "charity begins at home," (They donate mostly to
non-Asian causes) and
who are intellectually incapable of understanding "enlightened self-interest." (They
fail to realize that a rising tide raises all ships.)
Unless WE convert this group of "success robots" to CORNERSTONE citizens, AsAms are unlikely to contribute as an equal partner in the making of the American Dream.
Play This Game to Touch Our "Success Robots"
Name the three most famous AsAms you know. See if 2 of the 3 will fit the category of "success robots." :-) Use the Poster Board to tell us your game result.
I've posted mine here. The AsAm "rich & powerful" need feedback from us, since they are mostly missing in action in helping (a)
our community and (b) to make America "a more perfect Union".
S. B. Woo
President and a volunteer for the past 20 years
80-20 Educational Foundation, Inc, a 501 C-3 organization,
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (1985-89)
To know more about 80-20, view these videos :
