Texas governor signs law shutting diversity offices at public universities | Hacker News Reader

Texas governor signs law shutting diversity offices at public universities

reuters.com

Granting admission based partially on race, and subsequently blocking another individual's admission based on their race always seemed to be a racist practice.

How would you propose that institutions address the systemic bias that has favored white students from birth in this country for decades? Race-conscious admissions may indeed be the worst solution except for all of the other ones.

Keep in mind that students are treated differently in damaging ways based on their race from kindergarten:

"A September 2021 study published in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found that teachers tended to complain more about Black students, particularly Black boys. These teachers identified Black students’ behavior as more problematic, compared with white students, the authors wrote, even though these differences “were not seen in directly observed behavior in the laboratory.”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/half-of-the-250-k...

I should've been more explicit in the fact that my comment wasn't primarily intended as a judgement or endorsement of the practice. I was just calling out the apparent racism.

As for your question, for which I don't claim any expertise: I fully acknowledge the problem of systemic racism. I think the better an individual (both the oppressed and others) has control over their own actions and outcomes, the better. In this sense, quotas based on race would be worst solution, extra points based on race a little better, but less than optimal. As far as I'm concerned, if the problem is low application rate among minorities, actions should be aimed to boost these numbers. If the problem is poor performance on admission tests / GPA etc., actions should aim to boost these numbers.

I am not in the US, so doesn't affect me directly, but as a white male, when if I'm excluded because I'm white, that feels like racism. I literally feel excluded because I'm white.

All of this to say, I don't have a solution to your question, but that doesn't make the current answer a valid one. Racism is not solved with more racism, or the spiral of anger will continue

It's not exactly technical, so I get that it's not 100% "on-brand" for HN, however it is a little sad that the post has to be flagged.

It feels like the community isn't trusted with a political topic like this.

From the HN guidelines:

> Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, or celebrities, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic.

That would be great, in theory, but:

1) This rule is not applied consistently, as we all know.

2) Doesn't the post represent new phenomenon? Has this thing happened before? (government taking real, tangible action against DEI in education, not just talk etc.). If not, then by guidelines, it should be ok, unless it's not "interesting" (whatever that means).

Affirmative Action -- or DEI as it's referred to these days -- isn't new, nor are any of the debates. It's been a 'wedge issue' since the 80s, with various pushes and initiatives, and push-backs.

Standard culture war stuff. Nothing to see here.

In my experience on HN, there have been plenty of unflagged/un-deranked posts regarding DEI. Remember when the harvard admissions scandal occurred? There is obviously "things to see here", in some cases.

In this case, there indeed may be some new phenomenon, which is real, effectful action against DEI in education, by government (at least in a long time and as far as my memory serves me).

Calling something you (you personally) don't like to see, don't find interesting, or don't agree with as "just stuff, nothing worth seeing", is not the right way to approach discourse in online forums, wouldn't you agree?

Personally, i'm undecided on the DEI hot button, but what I'm more passionate about is open discourse about it, not more of your philosophy of shutting it down.

I like cats, but like politics, that topic is out of scope for HN. There’s so many other places to discuss politics, HN is at its best when it stays more on topic. All the political noise drowns out the signal here lately.

Isn’t the flagging done by the community?

No, usually political discussions devolve into libertarian bros versus left coast liberals. Basically rich, white neighbors yelling at each other, which accomplishes nothing.

UT Austin is the only Texas public university that considers race for admissions. So what do the diversity offices actually do at the other Texas public universities?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are not restricted to race or admissions

I know the public universities in Texas will lie and say they followed Abbott's order, while still doing what they have done for decades.

The law seems designed to attract media attention for culture-war enthusiasts, rather than have any practical effect.

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