Michael
Mar 4th 2010, 05:44 PM
Gay? Check Yes or No
Penn just announced they would add a field on its application for students to indicate their sexual orientation. But does that really open the door for true diversity?
Every year, thousands of high school students spend months focused on the art of self presentation. They cram for standardized tests, pen soul-baring essays, and join clubs to beef up their resumés. College applications force students into the daunting task of reducing their lives and accomplishments to a series of checkmarks, numbers, and writing prompts. For gay and lesbian students, the process is further fraught by the decision of whether to identify as gay -- and if so, how to indicate it on the application. Do you write your application essay about coming out? Or will admissions officers get the point if you list the Gay-Straight Alliance under your activities?
Thanks to a decision from the University of Pennsylvania's admissions office, answering these questions may soon be a lot easier. Last week, the Ivy League university announced it would provide a space on its admissions application for students to indicate their sexual orientation and is asking the makers of the "common application," which is accepted by 392 private and public colleges across the country in lieu of a school-specific app, to do the same. For schools, it provides a way to signal acceptance and target gays and lesbians for recruiting. For students, it answers the question of whether one's sexual orientation is appropriate to mention. But while the inclusion of a checkbox for "gay" shows how far society has progressed in accepting sexual orientation as just another attribute, it raises new questions about how sexual orientation fits in the affirmative-action schema.
Source (http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=gay_check_yes_or_no)
Wow. This really surprises me, though I suppose, it shouldn't. Personally, I'm totally opposed to this because I don't think it is any college's business to know the sexuality of its students. I can't think of any reason that any college would have for needing this information. :shrug:
Penn just announced they would add a field on its application for students to indicate their sexual orientation. But does that really open the door for true diversity?
Every year, thousands of high school students spend months focused on the art of self presentation. They cram for standardized tests, pen soul-baring essays, and join clubs to beef up their resumés. College applications force students into the daunting task of reducing their lives and accomplishments to a series of checkmarks, numbers, and writing prompts. For gay and lesbian students, the process is further fraught by the decision of whether to identify as gay -- and if so, how to indicate it on the application. Do you write your application essay about coming out? Or will admissions officers get the point if you list the Gay-Straight Alliance under your activities?
Thanks to a decision from the University of Pennsylvania's admissions office, answering these questions may soon be a lot easier. Last week, the Ivy League university announced it would provide a space on its admissions application for students to indicate their sexual orientation and is asking the makers of the "common application," which is accepted by 392 private and public colleges across the country in lieu of a school-specific app, to do the same. For schools, it provides a way to signal acceptance and target gays and lesbians for recruiting. For students, it answers the question of whether one's sexual orientation is appropriate to mention. But while the inclusion of a checkbox for "gay" shows how far society has progressed in accepting sexual orientation as just another attribute, it raises new questions about how sexual orientation fits in the affirmative-action schema.
Source (http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=gay_check_yes_or_no)
Wow. This really surprises me, though I suppose, it shouldn't. Personally, I'm totally opposed to this because I don't think it is any college's business to know the sexuality of its students. I can't think of any reason that any college would have for needing this information. :shrug: