Affirmative action

[Leslie Goldstein]

I do not know of such evidence and would be interested in seeing it.  My take on
it is that liberal academics (like myself) are always on the lookout for good
candidates who are black, hispanic, etc., but that we do not consciously loosen
our standards to pick them over people we perceive to be better qualified.  Would
you care to recommend a book or article that marshalls the evidence?
LFG

David Bernstein wrote:

> Would you argue, however, that this is the case now?  To put it mildly, there
> is reason (both statistical and anecdotal) to believe that African American
> candidates in particular are today favored in the academic market.  I have no
> desire to debate whether this is sound academic/moral/political policy, but
> if it is true, than the "additional hiring slot" idea is adding an additional
> preference to an already preferential market, not remedying continued
> discrimination.  If so, it still may be sound policy, but would be hard to
> square with precedent.  Even accepting Prof. Weinberg's claims re unconscious
> racism, U. Delaware's proposed policy would be easier to justify if it stated
> "From now on, we will engage in no racial preferences of any sort when
> recruiting faculty candidates, except that if a minority candidate winds up
> on the short list without preferences, we will create an additional hiring
> slot for him or her to compensate for the effects of unconscious racism,
> which may lead the faculty to make a non-objective final choice."
>
> David Bernstein
>
> In a message dated 2/26/01 11:34:18 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> lweinberg at MAIL.LAW.UTEXAS.EDU writes:
>
> << I do not know when or where the "additional slot" idea has been applied,
>  but as I understand the "additional slot" idea in the university hiring
>  context, its purpose is to free the minds of the faculty from the pressures
>  of unconscious preference, so that they can be free to go on hiring those
>  like themselves, whom they prefer, without continuing the inevitable effect
>  of locking out minorities.  In the university context, the reality is that
>  minorities in the past, and women, too, for the most part,  were indeed
>  locked out.  Justice Powell's reasoning that everyone is not permitted to
>  compete equally for additional remedial slots, fails to capture this
>  reality, just as "separate but equal" failed to capture the reality that
>  separate never was equal. >>