Recently an undergraduate student began circulating on Facebook a 10 + 1 point plan for the “liberation of students at the University of Illinois.” Apparently I didn’t get the memo that there was still slavery going on in Champaign. This movement started in a response to a suggestion that the various cultural houses be combined to help end self-segregation on campus.

Now much can be said about the under-representation of minorities on campus (or other racial problems in town) but this goes far beyond affirmative action in admission. This list of demands wants affirmative action in grading. Demand #2 stats “We demand that the percentage of undergraduate GRADUATION RATES for Black, Latino/a, Native American, and Asian American students from the University of Illinois at the very least match their percentage of the population of the state of Illinois.” How exactly would the University affect this demand? Once you get into college it’s up to you to graduate, why is it oppressive to demand the same for minorities (who do benefit from programs designed to help those with remedial problems catch up)?

Quota systems are illegal in hiring and admissions, is the University supposed to adopt a quota system in grading? How is this going to work, tiered grading? If you are white: A – 98-100%, B – 96-98%, C – 94-96%, D- 92-94%, F – 0-92%. If you are a minority: A-70-100%, B – 40-70%, C- 10-40%, D- 0-10%. As long as you show up, you don’t fail.

Its one thing to have everyone start at the same point (i.e. equal opportunity), it’s an entirely different matter to insist on equality of result. The later always punishes the successful rather than lift up the bottom.

The under-representation of minorities on college campuses is not a problem for the universities to fix. It is a failure of the K-12 system, especially in poor areas, to educate those students to compete for entrance into college.

Lastly, there is one problem with this student’s demands and that is the subtle threat of violence in another post (called This School is Insane) regarding this issue:

Motha****as say I talk too much…but I listen even more. Thats why I have so much to say to begin with.

“I hope you wake up in time before the revolution/ or your going to be like/ I can’t believe it/ I got SHOT” - Common

Ok I’m Done

Peace

PS-I been raising hell going on 4 years now. If I get suckered into staying here for grad school…

I’ma make mothafuckas real uneasy

It isn’t a stretch to read this as saying “give us our quotas are we’re going to be violent”, especially when the organization effort is being called a “resistance” movement.

John Bambenek is the Assistant Politics Editor for Blogcritics and is an academic professional for the University of Illinois. He is a columnist for the Daily Illini and blogs at Part-Time Pundit deep from the corn fields of Illinois. He is the current owner of BlogSoldiers, a blog-only traffic exchange.