On the front of Monday’s issue, we see a downright bewildering choice of headline. The headline goes to an article on minority representation in the Honors College, whose conclusion is an overreaction to a passing statistic. In fact, several people quoted in the article seem to feel the supposed issue is much less urgent than it is made out to be.
First, according to the data provided in the article, the Honors College does not have that large of an ethnic disparity from the general University population. The Hispanic, Asian and Native American categories all have equal or greater representation in the Honors College. The only specific category that is underrepresented is African Americans, by a mere 9.1 percent, and the article bases its entire conclusion on this statistic without regard to the other four major categories. In reality, the college is for the most part just as diverse as the overall population from which it pulls its members.
Second, even if the Honors College were so overly skewed against minorities, is that something to panic about, really? Bear with me for a moment. The Honors College is merit-based by design, with frankly very little discretion in the member selection process. After all, the only requirement is to keep a 3.3 GPA and fill out a form.
If any major disparities were present, it would not be because of any discrimination, but because of a simple lack of application, pun intended. The only thing that the data suggests is that the four other ethnic categories are slightly more diligent in either studying or filling out paperwork (more likely the latter, considering the average college student) than the black students are. It comes with an unfortunate result, sure, but one easily resolved with some better exposure for the college in general.
As everyone has become acutely aware over the past few weeks, ethnic discrimination is still an issue on our campus. However, that doesn’t mean that we have to pull new incidents out of the air to pretend to be working toward a solution. The Honors College should be proud that several minorities are overrepresented within its ranks. We shouldn’t get ruffled up over the simple mathematical fact that if four categories are overrepresented, the fifth must be underrepresented. No one wants to neglect any one group, but no one is doing so intentionally. By all means, recruit more black students to the Honors College to even the numbers, but don’t let it distract from the much more pressing issues facing this campus’s diverse community.
Tyler Malone is a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering.
