Robin - Sykesville, MD - 'Sliding scale for black students'
O.K., I can't help it. I feel compelled to respond to the recent AP story on Alvin Chambliss (Civil rights activist criticizes University of Missouri-Columbia). In a speech on the campus, Chambliss alleged that the university worked to "keep blacks from getting into the school" by requiring a score of 24 on the ACT exam for entrance. And he urged the school to enact a "sliding scale for black students." So, let me get this straight. Mr. Chambliss is asserting that if you're a black student you can't compete with other students; therefore, the bar has to be lowered. Where is the outrage from the black community against such comments? If I were a young, black student I would be offended by such a request. Mr. Chambliss is basically saying that young, black students aren't as smart as other students. As a white female, I didn't make a 24 on the ACT. Does that mean the university is discriminating against me? Absolutely not. Does it mean that somehow I was slighted by my teachers or that I didn't have the same opportunities as others to do better? No. Could I have made a 24 on the ACT? Absolutely. Unfortunately, my priorities weren't where they should have been in high school. Mr. Chambliss, do you know what students who don't score high enough on such tests can do? They can go to a different school!! That's what I did and it's what many other students do. Let's not lower the bar at some of our nation's best universities just for the sake of diversity. Obviously, these standards are set for a reason. If a prospective student can't make a 24 on the ACT then, perhaps, they can't make the grades needed to succeed at that school. Mr. Chambliss, you are just another activist who has too much time on his hands. Please do us all a favor and use your talents to improve education in America, not dumb it down even further than it already is.

 

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