Dr. Lani Guinier, the first Black female law professor to gain tenure at Harvard University, spoke March 31 before a packed ballroom at the first annual Creating Institutional Change Conference (CIC). Her talk focused on the nature of college admissions, which she argues places emphasis on factors that stack the deck against underprivileged applicants. The CIC was an effort to bring people together from all the Big Ten schools to share ideas of how to promote diversity on college campuses. Dr. Guinier delivered the keynote address at the conference, which also included workshops, other speakers, and poetry performances.
Dr. Guinier used the analogy of the "Miner's Canary" to explain her perspective. In the same way as miners used a canary to warn them of toxic conditions, Guinier claimed that the struggles minorities face on college campuses should serve as a warning that something is wrong with the campus environment. Guinier argued that policies should work to fix "the atmosphere in the mines, not just the little canary."
In Guinier's view, college admissions operate currently on a flawed conception of merit. By measuring merit with tests like the SAT, Guinier said colleges are actually admitting privileged applicants rather than meritorious ones. According to Guinier, SAT scores have been shown to statistically predict the wealth of an applicant's parents better than they predict that applicant's success in college.
Guinier advocated an admissions system that looks beyond the numbers and seeks applicants who demonstrate critical thinking and a commitment to overcoming challenges. "Overcoming obstacles is an important aspect of character that is going to enable people to do well in life," she explained.
The University of Wisconsin does currently look beyond the academic numbers of applicants, as do most other selective universities. On its website, UW-Madison states that, "numbers alone do not determine admissibility." However, these factors, such as extracurricular activities, community service, and leadership experience, are not as important as academics in the admissions process. The admissions website states that "while nonacademic indicators will make a good applicant strong, they will never make an academically weak applicant admissible." Guinier might argue that they should. |
