December 9, 2002

TRUE ADMISSIONS
Exploring How Words Are Not the Only Way to Define Diversity on a College Campus

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  Civics, Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Using Synonyms for Race, College Strives for Diversity, By JACQUES STEINBERG", December 9, 2002

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students will examine affirmative action and study the diversity of their own classrooms and communities, then of a particular college or university. To synthesize their learning, students will write essays examining how colleges should increase the diversity of their student bodies.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Examine what affirmative assessment means and explore diversity in their classroom and community.
  2. Discover the ways in which colleges are getting around affirmative action to diversify their student bodies by reading and discussing the article, “Using Synonyms for Race, College Strives for Diversity.”
  3. Research the history of a specific college or university and learn about how its admissions policies have changed over the years to become a more diverse campus.
  4. Reflect on the impact of affirmative action by writing an essay exploring how the founding principles of an academic institution have changed because of affirmative action and diversity.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Ask students to respond in writing to the following prompt (written on the board prior to class): “1) According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth Edition), affirmative action is defined as ‘A policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment.’ What groups of people might be targeted for affirmative action? What organizations or institutions do you know of that use affirmative action practices? 2) Evaluate the students in your class for diversity. Based on what you know about your classmates, and on what you see, how many different ethnic groups do you think are represented in this classroom? What variety do your peers add in terms of beliefs, religions, countries, languages, interests, foods, etc.?" After a few minutes, allow students to share and discuss their responses. What are the benefits of diversity? What are the drawbacks? How does the diversity of the classroom compare to that of the students’ communities outside of school? How does this comparison reflect on the society?
  2. As a class, read and discuss the article “Using Synonyms for Race, College Strives for Diversity,” focusing on the following questions:
    1. In 1996, what decision was made about the University of Texas Law School admissions process?
    2. What other Texas college decided on its own that the ruling of the federal appeals court applied to them, too?
    3. What would have happened if Rice University ignored the federal appeals court ruling?
    4. How does Rice University continue to admit an ethnically diverse student body without directly asking about race?
    5. According to the article, which court is in the process of deciding whether or not to impose stricter restrictions on affirmative action?
    6. According to the article, why has this issue been recently pushed back into the court system?
    7. What was the result of the 1978 Bakke case?
    8. What have states such as Texas, Florida and California done to promote diversity on their public university campuses?
    9. Why haven’t private institutions ensured diversity in the same way as public universities?
    10. How do members of the admission team at Rice University working to ensure a diverse student body? What aspects of an application are being considered?
    11. What arguments do people have against affirmative action?
    12. According to the article, what do Rice University officials say about the SAT scores of minority applicants?
    13. What rule did Hopwood v. Texas establish?
    14. Under what principles was Rice University founded?
    15. When and why was this policy changed?
    16. How has Rice University achieved its current levels of diversity?
  3. Divide the class into six groups. Explain that each group will be assigned a different college or university to research the history of each academic institution’s founding and its changing policies that reflect society’s desire to diversify college campuses. Assign each group a college or university and a corresponding web site with which to begin research. These may include (but are not limited to) the following: Mount Holyoke ( http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/history.shtml), Howard University (( http://www.howard.edu/hu-homepages/HowardPast.htm), Harvard University ( http://www.news.harvard.edu/guide/intro/index.html), University of California ( http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/uchistory/), Dartmouth College ( http://www.dartmouth.edu/about/history.html) and University of Michigan ( http://www.umich.edu/~hist265/).
    Each group will research the history of their assigned institution focusing on the following questions (written on the board or copied in a handout for easier student access):In addition to answering the questions above, each group should write a brief summary of the application process, and the diversity statistics for the existing student body.
    After completing research, groups will work together to create an informational poster illustrating how the original purpose of the school compares with its current mission and student body. If applicable, include a timeline showing how admissions have changed over time.
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Individually, students will write an essay examining how affirmative action policies have shaped the institution they studied in class. Has affirmative action done its job of diversifying the campus? Why or why not? What recommendations can you make about the admissions process to increase the diversity of this campus?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on thoughtful completion of journal entries, thorough group research, careful completion of informational poster and presentation, and thoughtful completion of essay examining affirmative action at their assigned institution.

VOCABULARY:
proportion, albeit, nuanced, lexicon, minuets, inopportune, valedictorian

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Create a timeline examining the diversity issue at the University of California. Why was California a forerunner in affirmative action? Be sure to include all policies and changes relating to affirmative action in this states university system.
  2. Design a college admissions application that would address the issue of diversity fairly and honestly.
  3. Write an essay examining white privilege and what it means to be a “majority.” Begin your research by reading “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack”
    ( http://www.debocracy.org/unpacking.html )

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Geography- Create a map illustrating where “first” colleges and universities appeared on different continents and in different countries. Include a brief written description of the principles on which these academic institutions were founded.

Mathematics- Compare the statistics of people of color in your local area with the population currently enrolled in the public university closest to your home. Chart your findings and respond to the question: Do your findings illustrate a need for or against affirmative action policies?

Copyright 2002
The New York Times Company

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