Only Minorities Allowed To Take Calculus In Oregon

The students at the University of Oregon have been complaining about their class sizes for some time now. As a result, officials of the Office of Multicultural Academic Support at U of O have come up with a great solution.

Students now who go to sign up for 6 classes in a semester, including sophomore calculus and English classes, are being told they're the wrong color. These special classes, some of which only have a total of 18 students, have been reserved for minority students only. Students must identify as being African-American, Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Chicano/Latino, Native American or multiracial (non-white, of course) in order to sign up for the classes.

So, after quota enrollment has gotten such negative press these past few years, the University of Oregon has come up with a solution to this. Allow any race to join the school, but only those mentioned above are given the ability to take classes. Naturally, school officials, when asked about this, fully supported it. How can this be legal? I thought racial segregation was a no-no these days.

[edit on 5-13-2005 by junglejake]

[edit on 5-13-2005 by junglejake]

This is interesting, but how about a link where you got the info. However, if this is true, then it is quite bothersome that people who want an education are not being allowed to do so.

Note to self Not going to U of O for so much as an ice cream cone....

Not to sound racist but I am getting a wee bit tired of paying for everyone else's benefits with my taxes and knowing damn well If I applied for anything it would be tough luck because I am a white male 18 to 25..... Instead of getting true equality we have those in power deliberatelly creating more tension by swinging amazingly far in the opposite direction. Equality is not getting extra points because you aren't a male or aren't white, equality is just that equal.... but I guess we still have to judge people by skin color. personally I would be a bit offended if I was a minority and good old Uncle Sam decided I needed extra points just because I am not "white"... but that is me.

Originally posted by DCFusion
This is interesting, but how about a link where you got the info. However, if this is true, then it is quite bothersome that people who want an education are not being allowed to do so.

Here is a link:
Link

New development in this story. One of the students going to UofO, Melissa Hanks, has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. She states that the practice is unfair and racist.

"It really shuts down that idea of diversity because it's not letting a group of people have a voice in a classroom setting just because of their skin color," she said.

We'll see how this goes down, I know I'll be following the story.

The hell with a complaint, I'd be filing a lawsuit...

Just to be clear, they are not saying non whites can't take the course, they are saying that tht particular class room is filled for the semester, or that its reserved for minorities.

IE, she can get into a Calculus class, just not that one, which is, for whatever the reason, reserved for minorities.

Simple solution, sign up as a minority. IF the students there are sick of this kind of BS, thats what they should do. Have all the 'white' kids sign up as 'black'. They can't refute it, it has no definition, its purely a self identifiying characteristic.

Linda Liu, advising coordinator and academic adviser for OMAS, said the classes are meant to offer a safe haven for minority students and give struggling students a chance to work more closely with professors.

A noble cause, but perhaps improperly done.

Students must identify as being African-American, Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Chicano/Latino, Native American or multiracial to enroll in the first 10 slots. The OMAS confirms all students' racial identifications with the Office of the Registrar, Liu said.

Greg Vincent, vice provost for institutional equity and diversity, said the University offers a smaller class setting for these "gateway courses" for students who could benefit from them. He said the classes also provide a comforting environment that minority students may not get in other classes. The classes aren't based on a quota, and after the initial 10 spots are filled, the classes are open to everyone, he said.

Not the end of the world, in all honesty. Not as dastardly as first made out. A bad idea in the end tho.

I always like to flip the words "minority" and "white" then imagine the reaction that would ensue.

from the Oregon Daily Emerald A staff member at the office said she couldn't register for the class because she doesn't identify as a white person, Ramey said.

Imagine the uproar if "minorities" had to report at a specific time and be authorized to join a class.

I find it hilarious that white people had no problem with racism, as long as they were not getting the short end of the stick. 400 years plus of institutional racism, and you honestly believe there is going to be no backlash?

Call it Karma, laws of physics or whatever you want to: What comes around goes around. That's just the way the world works. I find it funny myself

Originally posted by phoenixhasrisin
I find it hilarious that white people had no problem with racism, as long as they were not getting the short end of the stick. 400 years plus of institutional racism, and you honestly believe there is going to be no backlash?

Yes, I do believe there should be no backlash.

Call it Karma, laws of physics or whatever you want to: What comes around goes around. That's just the way the world works. I find it funny myself

Nothing funny here. Little things like that actually perpetuate racial segregation. I don't care which way it's tilted, but I'm for striking out any reference to race. I could sign as a white or mixed (I am mixed a little), but that's not the point. Stop the racial basis for anything.

yea right like me or my family Had A THING to do with slavlery Im irish by desent my people came here in the late 1800hundreds because we were starving . We could bearly aford to eat let alone own slaves .
And at point my people were hunted a murrdered just for being Irish right here in the states so personly I dont want to here Im black pity me .
Ps Farther more what my ansetars may have went through has nothing to do with me nore does it effect my life now . A few white guys owned slaves and ALL white guys were bad?
Get a clue even during slavery WHITE guys help slaves excape.
Like blame a man for the color of his skin There white so ow us there black so dont know better???

Originally posted by phoenixhasrisin
I find it hilarious that white people had no problem with racism, as long as they were not getting the short end of the stick. 400 years plus of institutional racism, and you honestly believe there is going to be no backlash?

How is this at all related to what went on for four hundred years? It's wrong to have a class open to certain people based on the color of their skin - regardless of who is getting the short end of the stick.

The civil rights movement wasn't about turing racism around and making white people pay for our ancestors sins, it was about creating a country that ensured equality for all people.

Most people DO have a problem with racism, except for you apparently, when you're not getting the short end of the stick.

Originally posted by phoenixhasrisin
I find it hilarious that white people had no problem with racism, as long as they were not getting the short end of the stick. 400 years plus of institutional racism, and you honestly believe there is going to be no backlash?

So what are you trying to say? That the civil rights movement wasn't supposed to be a move towards equality but rather blacks over whites? How...noble.

Originally posted by junglejake

Originally posted by phoenixhasrisin
I find it hilarious that white people had no problem with racism, as long as they were not getting the short end of the stick. 400 years plus of institutional racism, and you honestly believe there is going to be no backlash?

So what are you trying to say? That the civil rights movement wasn't supposed to be a move towards equality but rather blacks over whites? How...noble.

No not at all. I thought I was pretty clear. Just in case I was not.

"for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"-Elementary physics.

Karma is defined as: The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny.

I just expaned this concept from person, to peoples.

Which is why I tried to give a pretty clear old statement......"What comes around, goes around"

That is what I did say. I never mentioned anything about Blacks being "over" whites, as you put it. That is your fear, not my aspirations. Projection noted though

Know how to get rid of the Minority attitude you owe me something? Really stop giving them special treatment because of their skin color both negative and positive. No one should get or deserves special treatment.

Call it Karma, laws of physics or whatever you want to: What comes around goes around. That's just the way the world works. I find it funny myself

That's just it though... the current generation of whites had NOTHING (zip, nada, zilch) to do with the kind of civil rights oppression that happened in the past. Yet, you are arguing that it's somehow karma? And laughing at continued inequality? You may find it funny, I find it puzzling, and the actions of the school racist.

Why would it take minorities longer to register for a class? A class should be open to ANYONE regardless of race, sex, creed, etc. and in most places, such slots are filled first come, first serve. The idea of "holding" slots while denying them to others is absolutely absurd....

Someone at that school needs to re-examine the meaning of EQUALITY. I am COMPLETELY for EQUAL rights, but SPECIAL rights, yes, I have a problem with....

Originally posted by Gazrok
That's just it though... the current generation of whites had NOTHING (zip, nada, zilch) to do with the kind of civil rights oppression that happened in the past.

Four hundred years of oppression, and you honestly are going to state that you can not see how the present generation has benefited from it? I do not think you are being entirely honest with yourself there.

I do not know your personal, or familial, financial history, however I think we can all admit that blacks are on the bottom of the scale as far as economics are concerned, and have been since this countries inception, no?

That being said, had segregation not existed in the past , would white America be as successful as they are now? Hölle no they wouldn't! Would there be less whites in the upper middle class? You bet your Esel there would be! Would more blacks be financially stable , if they had had the opportunity to profit from their labour? You bet your Esel they would be.

To say that they current generation has not reaped any of the benefits of institutional racism, is simply false. True they are not responsible for it, but they do reap the rewards none the less.

[edit twice for spelling]

[edit on 18-5-2005 by phoenixhasrisin]

Why would it take minorities longer to register for a class?

I think that we can say, first off, that the people that made this rule up didn't say 'screw whitey I's is maksing me owns class' and that they also didn't say 'my ancestors made these people slaves, I have guilt that has to be worked off'.

The reasoning is probably that minorities are still discriminated against. And that 'the system' is not blameless, however honest its current intentions are. Blacks, for example, were made into slaves, and these actions had demographic implications, that are still felt today, such that, not matter how non-racist the system wants to be now, there are still 'institutional' after effects of it. Such that, merely being born black, you are already at the back of the pack.

So things like this attempt to make it 'fair and balanced', by trying to make up for the poor effects and detriments of being born black.

I'd think that its a temporary thing tho, not something that can be made permanent, and a small price to pay if the goal can be acheived. Besides, this white girl, she might not get to take calculus this year because she was too stupid to register early, but I suspect that its not going to make any difference in her life, whereas these minority filled classes might permit a more fined tuned education for these minorities, and thus make a big impact, since education is the only thing that they have going for them.

But its a tricky and touchy and very iffy subject anyway. This particular instance seems unjustified in the end.

Enrollment into a class should be on a first come, first serve basis. I do not know if a private university could get away with only allowing specific races into a class, but I can guarantee you that a state university cannot. I would file a lawsuit immediately if I were one of the students.

So...In order to compensate for the cultural effects of slavery 150 years ago, a University is getting rid of its first come first serve policy? I mean, it makes sense that someone whose great great grandfater was a slave could have a hard time beating a white person whose great great grandfather wasn't a slave to sign up for classes. Oh, wait, I lied, I can't.