<p><a href=“http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/05/ap_afacademy_070506/[/url]”>http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/05/ap_afacademy_070506/</a></p>
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<p>Makes me feel special... lol.</p>
<p>It's sad that minority students generally recieve lesser educations. I don't think it is the Academies job to fix this. I can understand taking background into account, but we still must try to take the best candidates.</p>
<p>I think the reform must occur before and during high school, not during college.</p>
<p>"The Defense Department wants to strip military academies of their ability to favor minorities recruits in granting waivers to academic entrance requirements," he said. </p>
<p>i understand the want to have a more diverse school, but shouldnt we all be held to the same standards, and they just choose the best?</p>
<p>Does this mean I should write "Hispanic" on my application?</p>
<p>Kidding of course.</p>
<p>I'll spare everyone my long-winded opinions about how dumb affirmative action is, but I will say one thing. Maybe two things.</p>
<p>1) I have never once seen any kind of "recruitment," for minorities or otherwise, for any of the Academies. </p>
<p>b) I'm glad the DoD wants to get rid of the Academies' option to favor minorities. Why should someone get turned away from their life's dream just because they're not dark enough?</p>
<p>I think, by recruitment, they just mean getting people to come here. So with that definition, every college "recruits" people.</p>
<p>OK hold on just one second.</p>
<p>Um nobody's asking for your sympathy or even empathy... I worked just as hard as everybody else to get into the academy... I could have been easily placed into the prep school if they thought that I wasn't ready. And actually I had no idea that I'd be going to the academy, and it hasn't been a "goal" of mine for the past few years, so I guess you can call my hard work genuine?</p>
<p>And of course you would say somethin about their skin not being dark enough because it sounds as if you're on the lighter side of things... but life is totally different when you've been touched by the sun =]]... I know this... trust me.</p>
<p>We [me and the other 30 black appointees] have worked extremely hard to get where we have gotten... please don't belittle our achievements by referring to our color as the means by which we got into the academy. Thanks =]</p>
<p>Although there is a more tactful way to say it (zach...) I think you both agree that Affirmative Action patronizes minroities and should be done away with? I would certainly feel belittled if that's why I got my appointment, but thankfully that wasn't done for 2011! So let's diffuse this bomb before it even lights...</p>
<p>I understand both your points and I think both have their own truths. From the non-minority status I would be outraged as well if some kid who was overall not quite as strongly qualified as me got the position over me. Or even if we were qualified equally, it would still be BS that just b/c of someone's skin color they were picked over someone else. On the other side(being part hispanic and white, and from San Diego CA) I have seen first hand the how much harder minority students(in some cases) have it then non-minority, sometimes having to work late nights to support the family living conditions, participate in extracurriculars and still maintain high Academic standards. When these kids do this and I see other kids(myself) get blessed with normal family/home life's its humiltating to think what those of us who are blessed with "normal" lives take for granted. With that said I think 95% of the time, a person's appointent should be purely upon qualified entrance not skin color, but there are those 5% where difficult situations arose(both for whites and minorities) and maybe b/c of how they excelled in that situation they deserve that appointent over some kid who maybe did just as well but with more advantages and a easier life on the way there. But for universities to hand out blanket-advantages to minority students w/o checking out the backround is incredibly un-fair. </p>
<p>All in all though I believe the most qualifed applicant should get the spot, no matter the race, if he so happens to be of a certain race so be it, but it should not be something they "look for" in a canidate.
IMHO</p>
<p>and mark i know everyone who got in had to have earned it in some way shape or form. whether that be athetics, leadership, academics..(combination) etc.. The AFA only picks the best!!! US :)<br>
CANT WAIT FOR BASIC... GOLD CLASS hehe</p>
<p>First, I'd like to comment to mark. After meeting you during 2nd orientation, I have no doubt in my mind you earned it and you rightfully belong here. Being one of the few that came alone, you handled yourself well, so keep up the good work and help break the IC athlete stereotype in your squad. </p>
<p>As for affirmative action stuff. I agree background should be investigated, I think this falls under the "whole person" view that most colleges should look at. If a person works extremely hard under certain given conditions, while possibly not achieving the best of grades among peers, considering the situation and what was achieved should be an important aspect. This shows the character of the person and their ability to succeed in adversity. I think that makes a huge difference and while hard to quantify, that's why we have paid admissions panels with real people on them right? </p>
<p>I especially think that for the service academies, it is extremely important to look at the whole person. I believe they absolutely must be qualified for the mission necessary. You cannot take a risk with our country's future. If someone, regardless of race, grows up in a very hard situation (single parents in a low income area with high crime maybe?), if they have proven themselves , recognize it; if they expect to be rewarded for having to live a hard life but didn't try hard to push forward, I honestly don't think they earned their right here over anyone else. </p>
<p>If admissions counselors could properly judge a person's character from every factor, we simply wouldn't need affirmative action in my opinion.</p>
<p>mark40, I'm referring not to any kind of idea that darker applicants are somehow "less qualified," I'm simply stating the idea that giving people preference based on their heritage is wrong and unethical. I'm also not saying the Academy actually does do this. However, it is common knowledge many civilian schools DO practice this, so what I'm also saying is that I'm glad the DoD wants to make it so the Academy can't. Make sense?</p>
<p>I am not going to state my opinion either way since I see this is a touchy subject but I would like to know if this if race does play a role in the admissions process or not. Is DoD making it so the academy can't because they currently are or do they just want to make sure that it doesn't start in the future?</p>
<p>So, if the academy is short in this recruting area, will they fill these slots with women or other qualified candtidates who were declined appointment in the past few months?</p>
<p>The academies try to reach a certain percentage of minorities each year which can mean accepting some less qualified candidates for the slot.</p>
<p>Haha thanks for all the feedback everybody...</p>
<p>"Regni said that of the 9,200 initial applicants for the incoming class, 920 were black high school seniors. About 700 of them completed the application process. Academic deficiencies knocked out 500. After the final cut, only a few dozen remained."</p>
<p>I got in. And I'm going. That's all that really matters.</p>
<p>GOLD 2011!!</p>
<p>Um, I believe you meant 2010? and Red? </p>
<p>I don't know about any of the other RTB's in here or other cadets for that matter, but during Basic, I hated all meals and briefings, not for any reason other than the fact that I ALWAYS lost my voice doing the chants. I hated chanting cause my throat would kill for hours after and my voice was basically shot after the first one.</p>
<p>agreed. I hated chanting, you had to be loud or some cadre would go after you. ugh. My voice took several months to recover to its normal tone.</p>
<p>maybe I shouldn't but I'm feeling mischievous... how about this can of worms: female cadet's have a double standard for athletics and upon admission (at least according to a very credible source) the academy wants a higher percentage of women so they drop the academic requirements for women... I know this is going to make a lot of people frustrated but its an issue that shouldn't be swept under the rug... some double standards SHOULD NOT exist. Im VERY in favor of qualified females coming to usafa but I see plenty (underlined) who have slipped very visibly through the cracks of disenrollment because of the sacred quota. One is in my squad, poor girl wanted to leave failed every course in basic and AOC made her reconsider... I want some feedback mostly from the other cadets on this forum some honest feedback PC is really unnecessary since this board prides itself on openness. That being said I know just as many girls who are qualified to be here, I just wish the Academy could return to that elite standard by, excuse the incredibly cliche phrase, "cutting the fat." Thoughts?</p>
<p>Ben,
As a female of the class of 2011 I want you to know that I totally agree with you despite being a female. I think lowering expectations in any situation, for any reason will have a negative effect on our future leaders. I totally agree with you. Really, by lowering the standards for females they are being sexist. I personally don't believe that the physical standards should be lowered for us females either. I hear arguments that since females are born physically weaker and have no control over it that it wouldn't be fair. But I could make the same argument that mentally retarded people should get into the academy because they were born mentally inferior. Frankly, I'm sorry but life is not fair. And I stick with my belief that the best person for the job (whatever that job may be) should be chosen.</p>
<p>I agree that there are many female cadets who slip through the crack. But by the same measure, just as many (if not more) male cadets also slip through the cracks. I've got at least two guys in my squad who just flat out shouldn't be here, and all of the girls have done just fine. If we really want to returd to the "elite standard", we should just raise the bar, and stop giving people so many chances (i.e. a third and fourth and fifth chance), chances that most of them do not deserve or use. Not sure if this is what you were getting at, or if you were focusing more on admissions stuff, but thats my 2 cents.</p>