What's a minority?

You see, for class 2014:

"Minority enrollment, roughly 26 percent of the incoming class, includes
126 African-Americans, (the highest number in West Point’s history),
131 Asian-Americans,
125 Hispanic Americans and
13 Native Americans."
 
I mean, they specifically point it out. So is it that they want more diversity as possible so they try to admit more of the minorities as possible? In other words, they have a slight advantage than the majority in terms of admission?
 
There are 126 of us? Wow, I figured there'd be less.

And I wouldn't say it's that much of an advantage. From what it seemed, admissions simply sought out minorities that were as qualified as the majority. Granted, in my case (California) the majority of applicants in my area were minorities ( they were mostly Hispanic though).

Much different from the Coast Guard academy that actually told me they needed more African-Americans.
 
TheKnight said:
Much different from the Coast Guard academy..... .
Click to expand...

Which, unlike the other 4 academies, is prohibited by Federal Law from using race as an admissions criteria.

TITLE 14 > PART I > CHAPTER 9 > § 182

§ 182. Cadets; number, appointment, obligation to serve

(a) Appointments to cadetships shall be made under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, who shall determine age limits, methods of selection of applicants, term of service as a cadet before graduation, and all other matters affecting such appointments. All such appointments shall be made without regard to the sex, race, color, or religious beliefs of an applicant.
 
Luigi59 said:
Which, unlike the other 4 academies, is prohibited by Federal Law from using race as an admissions criteria.

TITLE 14 > PART I > CHAPTER 9 > § 182

§ 182. Cadets; number, appointment, obligation to serve

(a) Appointments to cadetships shall be made under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, who shall determine age limits, methods of selection of applicants, term of service as a cadet before graduation, and all other matters affecting such appointments. All such appointments shall be made without regard to the sex, race, color, or religious beliefs of an applicant.
Click to expand...

Kind of like a government jobs program. :yllol::wink:

You don't need a nomination for USCGA either.
 
fartman38 said:
I mean, they specifically point it out. So is it that they want more diversity as possible so they try to admit more of the minorities as possible? In other words, they have a slight advantage than the majority in terms of admission?
Click to expand...

No,...there is no slight or any other advantage given. My son worked hard for this......just as hard as any other cadet, His being one of the 126.......is just how the cards were dealt. He was give no advantage or "special compensation". His hard word and dedication spoke for itself. Does West Point want more minority candidates......yes. Do they allow them to cut any corners in the application process...................NO THEY DO NOT!
 
My personal impression from the MALO and diversity training is as stated above. The goal is not to give minority candidates an advantage, but to attract them and make more of them aware of WP in the first place. The more you can get the word out, the more likely you are to find candidates who COULD qualify on their own rights. 30 years ago women were considered a minority. Now similar percentages of women apply/are accepted as men (meaning they accept the same percentage of women who apply as men who do).

The objective is to make minority candidates the same way. Get enough to apply so that you can choose the best, just like with any other candidate. Really, it seems to me that the focus is making attractive candidates that may not know of West Point and what is has to offer aware of it, not to "dumb down" the admissions process to get less qualified diverse candidates.
 
I asked my MALO regarding this, and he said there was a Minority Outreach program at West Point, because they want to be more ethnically diverse.
I then asked Cpt. Jonathan Belmont (NE Admissions Officer) about the program, and he explained that Asians are not considered a minority, because they either match, or sometimes surpass the Caucasian demographics. Interesting.

Maybe officially, race is not taken into consideration, but I'm pretty sure that by de facto rule, there's a slight "bonus" in being a minority. I don't mean lowering the bar for them, but rather USMA actively seeking out all those who are eligible for an appointment.
 
Everyone has to meet the qualifications. Everyone.

But that doesn't prevent USMA admissions from selecting the class by awarding appointments
to qualified minority candidates over qualified non-minority candidates, to arrive at a predestined diversity mandate.
 
Of all the facts and figures that WP and the other SAs release about their applications, GPAs, SAT/ACT scores, graduating classes ect., none provide any information broken down by race/ethnicity. You would think that these figures would finally put to rest the ongoing questions about two tiered admissions standards, but none seem interested in making them public. Anybody have any idea why?
 
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