<p>@YAHA
Thank God we can’t, because I can’t imagine how different this conversation might play out were we able to. I am enjoying my time here. I’ll also have you know that it has not a damn thing to do with how ‘diversified’ my school may or may not be, but rather the opportunities I see around me and how I’ve been able to capitalize on them so far and how they’ve helped me get closer to realizing some of my dreams.</p>
<p>I tend not to see color when I look at people, because I look at people, not skin. If anything, I’m more looking at their clothes, that’s the area I’m weakest and most likely to be so shallow or superficial in. I don’t care if someone’s as smart or meritorious than I am. Chances are, they aren’t, but that’s the vestiges of sinful pride and ego speaking, so ignore that please. And if they are, more power to them, I hope they succeed in the path they’ve chosen for themselves, what kind of monster would I be were I to wish ill on some random passerby?</p>
<p>Why does talking about minorities for anything more than five sentences make you so distraught? And also, you’re absolutely flat-out incorrect and wrong about Hillsdale being the only diversity-blind school. I purposely chose to omit my ethnicity or demographical background information off every single college-related application, document, or form . . . simply because I wanted to be judged solely by the criteria I ought to be, the quantitative and qualitative aspects of my candidacy. You lauding one school so blindly is almost as irksome as how liberal you are with punctuation.</p>
<p>No, you aren’t the only person who thinks that. I happen to hold a pretty similar opinion, but probably for a different reason than you. Where do you live, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m kind of interested to get a bit of insight as to the parameters you’ve lived in.</p>
<p>First of all, I am glad you are happy with NYU. More wind into your sail (no sarcasm). One of my friends has a MS in FE from there and he is doing really well.</p>
<p>Talking about minorities does irritate me. In fact, any kind of grouping and classifying of people irritates me in general. George Carlin used to say: I love people and absolutely despise the groups they belong to and associate with. It describes my view to the dot.</p>
<p>You are missing an important point from my post. The fact that you do not see color when looking at people is great, but it would be all too simple if we could solve the entire problem with that. Once again, as long as the institution itself (through government mandated quotas) sees the color of the skin, we cannot talk about merits or justice or any other cute words that are thrown around. </p>
<p>
I hate to repeat myself but here it goes. Say some minority guy did not omit those criteria. Say his scores and stats are lower than yours. Who is to guarantee that he would not be accepted in your place (purely hypothetical situation since you are obviously already in school). If anything, the present situation makes the representatives of the majority prove themselves harder than they otherwise would need to because of such things as Affirmative Action, artificial diversification (my term), etc.</p>
<p>
You should do better than attacking me personally. Granted, I am pretty casual with my grammar and punctuation. I have a limited intelligence and tend to use it in a particular direction (grammar is not it ). Plus, this is a casual place, not a legal department. We are all just conversing here (or at least I am ), so I make myself sound like I do in real life. </p>
<p>Also, I am not saying that Hillsdale is the heaven on Earth (I am sure some think so). What I am saying is that the college is one of the few that are on the right side of justice and truth (speaking strictly of non-acceptance of federal money and color-blind policy). Those two alone were the reasons I chose to come here. The idea of a well-rounded liberal arts education started to grow on me later.</p>
<p>
This is irrelevant to the discussion. I consider myself stateless. I dont associate with any groups, religions, etc. I do associate with like-minded people and people who hold a similar philosophical view of the world. :)</p>
<p>Right on the $$ YAHA! Say it at least 2X. The military’s figured this out … even low-level ASFABers can learn to make their bed correctly shown twice. Well stated.</p>
<p>As many have sadly noted, the idea of class elitism is so contrary to what Martin Luther King fought and died for. He wanted that colorless, classess case that one and all, no matter those and other issues (ok, felons, child pornographers, and terrorists be damned), would be given EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. Unfortunately, the word-thieves have absconded with the terminology and abandoned its true meaning and essence demanding equal outcomes for all. Thus the concept and values of the free market, at Hillsdale’s core, has malignantly morphed into socialism, that all may have if not “all” at least “the same.” And insteade of all being served, none are rewarded, for the meritorious are robbed of their potential while the mediocre are always identified and rewarded by their color and ethnicity. And for those meritorious (sadly now many) of color who earned their way to the first group, they are now punished once again, forever being suspect of favoritism. </p>
<p>Tragically ironic and destructive when government misses and mistakes its assignments.</p>
<p>Yes, Whistle Pig, this - “And for those meritorious (sadly now many) of color who earned their way to the first group, they are now punished once again, forever being suspect of favoritism.” - is the most tragic unintended consequence of affirmative action. At least those from favored groups who graduate from Hillsdale can hold their heads up and know that they earned every inch of their admission and graduation.</p>
<p>Beyond that, I can only speak from my experience as an English major. If you value the experience of knowing people from backgrounds other than your own, and if you value literary perspectives from many cultures, do not come to Hillsdale! The college refuses to offer even one course in non-western literatures. On the other hand, if you would like to be further convinced that the conservative ideology you have grown up with is, indeed, superior, this is the place for you. </p>
<p>At Hillsdale you will learn that it is quite natural for humans to believe that their own culture is superior to all others, and to defend their privileged status within that culture from tyrannical concepts like “diversity.”</p>
<p>YaYa,You alarm me. Surely you realize that there are many highly capable minorities who are in every college because of their accomplishments. Surely, you realize that not every white student is academically superior to his minority counterpart? I hope you do. If you don’t, I strongly suggest you seek professional assistance and discuss your resentments. Otherwise, you are going to have a difficult future in the modern global economy. Your bitterness and hostility will only harm you.</p>
<p>I appreciate your point. But look at how many writers are covered by the department who did NOT write in English: Homer, the Biblical writers, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, Vergil, Dante, Cervantes, Machiavelli, Voltaire, Goethe, Flaubert, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Kafka and Sartre. At Hillsdale English as an academic discipline, like everywhere else, is much more than British and American literature.</p>
<p>Yet consider the number of great writers who DID write in English but are not studied at Hillsdale: Morrison, Hughes, Hurston, Cullen, Ellison, Wright, etc-- all black writers. Americans and English-speaking, just not Anglo-Saxon.</p>
<p>It’s a question of who decides what is worth studying and why, which is invariably an exercise of power. When I was at Hillsdale I was frustrated by assumption that the only literature worth studying was that which fits into our neat Western Judeo-Christian narrative. Eventually many of us then start asking questions about the politics of the canon (and others become so frustrated that they go off and become a professor of African American literature of something crazy like that).</p>
<p>I’m Hispanic & I would absolutely love to attend Hillsdale. It’s right in line my with conservative values. I’m planning on applying as a transfer. The current college I’m at has about 70% of the faculty that is strongly liberal and not very tolerant, regardless of the fact they consider themselves tolerant, to anyone that is conservative, or Christian. I’m the odd man out here.</p>
<p>1)No photo is required for the application. None. They do ask for a photo to be attached to the housing form once a student has decided to enroll.</p>
<p>2)The school makes no apologies about its focus on Western Civilization and the Judeo/Christian roots of said civilization. How anyone can complain about this feature of the school is disingenuous at best.</p>
<p>Franko, if you have the academic goods and share the same philosophy of the school, then I say “go for it.”</p>
). Plus, this is a casual place, not a legal department. We are all just conversing here (or at least I am 
), so I make myself sound like I do in real life. </p>