DE&I is about creating a space where all people have the opportunity to have similar end states. It is NOT about having everyone on equal footing at the start. It is recognizing that people have different starting points and that some of those starting points are heavily disadvantaged.
In engineering, for instance, Asian males make up the majority of grad students at many universities, and if not a majority then by far the highest minority. So their starting point when entering the workforce is much stronger than the majority of black people, or Hispanic people, or Native American people.
In college admissions, which is what this story is about, it is about looking at how difficult it is for a student to get to the point where they start college (financially and educationally). Asian Americans more frequently have strong families encouraging them and supporting them going to college. They more frequently have family support to get good grades in High School. They more frequently have the financial ability to augment loans to pay for college. So the thought is to give more help to communities that don’t have the same level of support.
If Asians make up 5% of the population but 15% of college students, while black people make up 10% of the population but only 3% of college students (all made up numbers), the point of DE&I initiatives are to help out those who are having harder times even getting to the starting line let alone finishing the marathon.
DE&I is about creating a space where all people have the opportunity to have similar end states. It is NOT about having everyone on equal footing at the start. It is recognizing that people have different starting points and that some of those starting points are heavily disadvantaged.
In engineering, for instance, Asian males make up the majority of grad students at many universities, and if not a majority then by far the highest minority. So their starting point when entering the workforce is much stronger than the majority of black people, or Hispanic people, or Native American people.
In college admissions, which is what this story is about, it is about looking at how difficult it is for a student to get to the point where they start college (financially and educationally). Asian Americans more frequently have strong families encouraging them and supporting them going to college. They more frequently have family support to get good grades in High School. They more frequently have the financial ability to augment loans to pay for college. So the thought is to give more help to communities that don’t have the same level of support.
If Asians make up 5% of the population but 15% of college students, while black people make up 10% of the population but only 3% of college students (all made up numbers), the point of DE&I initiatives are to help out those who are having harder times even getting to the starting line let alone finishing the marathon.