tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/admissions-30373/articlesAdmissions – The Conversation2023-06-30T12:41:25Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2051122023-06-30T12:41:25Z2023-06-30T12:41:25ZMilitary academies can still consider race in admissions, but the rest of the nation’s colleges and universities cannot, court rules<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534925/original/file-20230629-25-jj8v31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=116%2C35%2C5820%2C3889&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A person protests outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 29, 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APTOPIXSupremeCourtAffirmativeAction/3df7c369e0494252b2d9e333d079c0bf/photo?Query=affirmative%20action&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=642&currentItemNo=1">AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>In a 6-3 <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf">ruling</a> on Thursday, June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/06/29/us/affirmative-action-supreme-court">struck down the use of race in college admissions</a> at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, outlawing the use of race in college admissions in general. The Conversation reached out to three legal scholars to explain what the decision means for students, colleges and universities, and ultimately the nation’s future.</em></p>
<h2>Kimberly Robinson, Professor of Law at the University of Virginia</h2>
<p>Writing for the majority in a <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf">case that bans affirmative action in college admissions</a>, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that such programs “unavoidably employ race in a negative manner” that goes against the Constitution.</p>
<p>The research, however, shows that the ban could potentially harm many college students and ultimately the United States. The reason this can be said with certainty is because in states where affirmative action has been banned, such as California and Michigan, <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/race-conscious-admission-bans">many selective state colleges and universities have struggled</a> to maintain the student body diversity that existed before affirmative action was banned.</p>
<p>Robust research shows how students who engage with students from different racial backgrounds <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309352495">experience</a> <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/258117/pdf?casa_token=q8qNOOU6_RsAAAAA:ypmjnl3Bwxzo1r-NxasqzKkCcgfN-x_ijZFd-SL3awMASAjcR0wn9EkMPIOAzjUp01XBx5XWSA">educational benefits</a>, such as cognitive growth and development and creating new ideas. For those reasons, a substantial decline in enrollment for underrepresented minority students carries many repercussions. </p>
<p>It means, for instance, that many students at selective colleges will have far fewer opportunities to learn from and interact with students from different racial backgrounds.</p>
<p>The nation’s elite colleges, such as Harvard and the University of North Carolina, educate a <a href="https://www.tulanelawreview.org/pub/volume96/issue1/affirmative-action-and-the-leadership-pipeline">disproportionately high share</a> of America’s leaders. Those who don’t attend these selective schools are dramatically <a href="https://www.tulanelawreview.org/pub/volume96/issue1/affirmative-action-and-the-leadership-pipeline">less likely</a> to complete a graduate or professional program. This is because these selective schools carry certain advantages. For instance, students who attend them are statistically more likely to graduate and be admitted to professional and graduate programs.</p>
<p>That means for students from underrepresented groups who don’t get into selective colleges, the chances of getting an advanced degree – which often paves the way to leadership positions – will be even lower.</p>
<p>The decision may also affect the workplace. Research shows that in states that eliminated affirmative action, <a href="https://gap.hks.harvard.edu/impact-eliminating-affirmative-action-minority-and-female-employment-natural-experiment-approach">meaningful drops in workplace diversity</a> took place. Asian and African American women and Hispanic men experienced the most significant declines.</p>
<p>These shifts in elite college enrollment, leadership and workplaces will weaken long-standing efforts to dismantle the nation’s <a href="https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=4420&context=nclr">segregationist past</a> and the privilege that this segregationist past affords to <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Black-Wealth--White-Wealth-A-New-Perspective-on-Racial-Inequality/Oliver-Shapiro/p/book/9780415951678">wealth</a> and <a href="https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/white-privilege">whiteness</a>.</p>
<p>To help mitigate these potential harms, selective colleges will have to devote their attention to limiting what I believe are the decision’s harmful impacts and reaffirming their commitment to diverse student bodies through all <a href="https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-130/fishers-cautionary-tale-and-the-urgent-need-for-equal-access-to-an-excellent-education/">lawful means</a>.</p>
<h2>Kristine Bowman, Professor of Law and Education Policy, Michigan State University</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534940/original/file-20230629-26-bekrzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Protestors holding posters saying, 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Defend Diversity.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534940/original/file-20230629-26-bekrzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534940/original/file-20230629-26-bekrzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534940/original/file-20230629-26-bekrzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534940/original/file-20230629-26-bekrzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534940/original/file-20230629-26-bekrzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534940/original/file-20230629-26-bekrzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534940/original/file-20230629-26-bekrzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">People protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 29, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SupremeCourtAffirmativeAction/de1a9f99d5854446b9283100babf7778/photo?Query=court%20affirmative%20action&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=328&currentItemNo=16">AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana</a></span>
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<p>In striking down race-conscious admissions practices, the Supreme Court overturns the court’s <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1979/76-811">1978 decision</a> that held that race-conscious admissions were constitutional.</p>
<p>This reversal was not unexpected, but it will have profound implications for building and maintaining diverse and inclusive colleges and universities, particularly among selective institutions. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720904433">most effective way to enroll a diverse student body</a> – and achieve the educational and social benefits that come with it – is to consider race as a factor in admissions. In the 10 states that have had affirmative action bans in admissions, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720904433">diversity in selective institutions has declined</a>.
This remained true even as alternative strategies were employed to achieve racial diversity, such as targeting recruitment efforts and focusing more on socioeconomic status diversity.</p>
<p>Although the court does not say outright that institutions cannot pursue diversity, it is not clear what diversity-related goals, if any, could constitutionally support race-conscious admissions. The court states that the benefits of diversity that Harvard and UNC articulate are not sufficiently “measurable,” “focused,” “concrete” or “coherent.” “How many fewer leaders Harvard would create without racial preferences, or how much poorer the education at Harvard would be, are inquiries no court could resolve,” the court wrote.</p>
<p>And yet, as Justice Sotomayor’s dissent highlights, the majority also says that race-conscious admissions with a “focus on numbers” or particular “numerical commitments” are also unconstitutional.</p>
<p>The opinion did not go as far as it could have in restricting the consideration of race. Institutions can still consider what a student’s comments about their racialized experiences reveal about their characteristics, such as “courage,” “determination” or “leadership.”</p>
<p>This provides a way for institutions to consider how race has impacted a student’s life. Although this unfairly places the burden on students of color to write about their racialized experience, it is arguably lighter than the burden that would have been borne if the court had attempted to prohibit consideration of such experiences. </p>
<p>Furthermore, efforts to pursue diversity through other means remain lawful. These alternative means include <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/UH4YSS3QHRCBY2VJEKPT/full">increasing attention to socioeconomic status</a>, making campus communities more inclusive. It also involves checking whether students are passing classes and graduating at the same rate regardless of race. </p>
<p>Research <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720904433">hasn’t shown</a> that these efforts will result in as much diversity at selective colleges as race-conscious college admissions. These efforts, however, now stand as a critical way forward to keep America’s elite colleges and universities diverse.</p>
<h2>Vinay Harpalani, Associate Professor of Law, University of New Mexico</h2>
<p>Although the court struck down the use of race in college admissions – as predicted by many experts and observers – the court left room for one narrow exception.</p>
<p>The majority opinion stated in a brief footnote that its ruling does not apply to race-conscious admissions at the nation’s military academies, such as West Point or the Naval Academy. </p>
<p>This issue had come up at oral arguments. When articulating the U.S. government’s position, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar raised the point that the military may have compelling interests beyond those that universities have. Specifically, the U.S. government argued that a racially diverse military officer corps was necessary for national security. In response, Chief Justice Roberts briefly noted the possibility of a military academy exception. This was not lost in his ruling.</p>
<p>The majority opinion stated that there could be “potentially distinct interests that the military academies may present.” Because the academies were not parties to these cases, the court did not directly address this issue and left it unsettled. </p>
<p>This was not the first time that the military influenced the court’s view of race-conscious admissions. Twenty years ago, national security interests played a significant role in the majority opinion in <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2002/02-241">Grutter v. Bollinger</a>.</p>
<p>Citing the amicus brief of former military leaders, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s majority opinion in the Grutter case noted that diverse military leadership was “essential to the military’s ability to fulfill its principle mission to provide national security.” She found that “[i]t requires only a small step from this analysis to conclude that our country’s other most selective institutions must remain both diverse and selective.”</p>
<p>In its latest rulings, the court left alone O'Connor’s claim that diverse military leadership is essential to national security, but it soundly rejected her view that diversity can justify race-conscious admissions at the nation’s colleges and universities.</p>
<p>The military is not the only place where the court has noted that security interests can justify use of race. The court also cited a 2005 ruling, Johnson v. California, where the justices held that prison officials could temporarily segregate prisoners by race to prevent violence. </p>
<p>It seems that the court is willing to uphold use of race when government power is at stake – as with the military and law enforcement. But it will not do so for the education of America’s citizenry.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205112/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Three legal experts weigh in on what the Supreme Court’s ban on race in college admissions means for students, colleges and universities, and the nation’s future.Kristine Bowman, Professor of Law and Education Policy, Michigan State UniversityKimberly Robinson, Professor of Law, Professor of Law, Education and Public Policy, University of VirginiaVinay Harpalani, Associate Professor of Law and Henry Weihofen Professor, University of New MexicoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1910112023-01-09T19:09:03Z2023-01-09T19:09:03ZSecrecy, psychosis and difficult change: these lived experiences of mental illness will inspire a kaleidoscope of emotions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502082/original/file-20221220-11-raywvl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4000%2C2000&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> </figcaption></figure><p>The introduction to <a href="https://upswellpublishing.com/product/admissions">Admissions</a> states: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>There is no way to neatly summarise what Admissions is or what it contains. If we were to write shorthand case notes to hand it over to you as a reader, they would say… </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is followed by a large paragraph of disjointed words, beginning with “Dolphins” and ending with “So many flipped moons”.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Review: Admissions, edited by David Stavanger, Radhiah Chowdhury and Mohammad Awad (Upswell Press)</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Admissions is not an organised collection of stories, nor a thematic discourse or commentary on mental health. It is difficult to read if you are expecting a linear progression of ideas. </p>
<p>But overall, this is a text that can broaden our views on all sorts of aspects of mental health. The book contains a variety of perspectives from people with lived experience of mental health issues, presenting the content in a variety of ways including poems, prose, diagrams and sketches. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501822/original/file-20221219-22-5i9wr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501822/original/file-20221219-22-5i9wr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501822/original/file-20221219-22-5i9wr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501822/original/file-20221219-22-5i9wr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501822/original/file-20221219-22-5i9wr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501822/original/file-20221219-22-5i9wr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501822/original/file-20221219-22-5i9wr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501822/original/file-20221219-22-5i9wr3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One of the artworks included in Admissions is ‘Intricately and Intimately Fractured’ by Anthony Mannix.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Upswell Publishing</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Honest truths and deep pain</h2>
<p>The honest truths about the deep pain suffered by many people with lived experience of mental health issues may be new to readers, even those working in healthcare. For example, Kobie Dee writes in Role Models about why alcohol and drugs bring some relief for pain – and how change is not possible without a role model. His story of how he learned to cope makes it obvious that change is truly challenging. </p>
<p>We get an honest view of the carer’s life in Roller Coaster by Kristen Dunphy, through in-depth descriptions of the awful experience and incredible sadness of being with a loved one who has episodes of despair and frantic behaviour. </p>
<p>The story, told by a wife, leaves the reader with the sense this relationship is doomed by the confusion and struggles in caring for a partner with mental health issues. The carer’s story is a rarely heard viewpoint in healthcare, but the views expressed by Kristen Dunphy are crucial to absorb.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501760/original/file-20221219-37196-wbfujz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501760/original/file-20221219-37196-wbfujz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501760/original/file-20221219-37196-wbfujz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501760/original/file-20221219-37196-wbfujz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501760/original/file-20221219-37196-wbfujz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501760/original/file-20221219-37196-wbfujz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501760/original/file-20221219-37196-wbfujz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501760/original/file-20221219-37196-wbfujz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption"></span>
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<p>The front cover is a commissioned piece of art by Amani Haydar (author of the memoir <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760982454/">The Mother Wound</a>, about the aftermath of her father’s murder of her mother – and one of the book’s contributors). It depicts a woman’s face, crying on one side, blank on the other: rays of light are emitted from the crying eye. The evocative image is open to many interpretations – and this is the hallmark of the whole book. The reader can see in it whatever they wish to see. </p>
<p>For example, take the intriguing title. Initially, the term “Admissions” brings hospital (or <a href="https://theconversation.com/sexual-assaults-in-psych-wards-show-urgent-need-for-reform-14265">psychiatry ward</a>) admissions to mind. However, in this book, it seems to apply to all kinds of aspects of life that people want to admit to experiencing, feeling and believing.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501823/original/file-20221219-14-uc1m0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501823/original/file-20221219-14-uc1m0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501823/original/file-20221219-14-uc1m0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501823/original/file-20221219-14-uc1m0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501823/original/file-20221219-14-uc1m0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501823/original/file-20221219-14-uc1m0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501823/original/file-20221219-14-uc1m0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501823/original/file-20221219-14-uc1m0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Darby Hudson’s artwork accompanies their piece, ‘100 Points of ID to Prove I Don’t Exist’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Upswell Publishing</span></span>
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</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-treat-borderline-personality-disorder-for-what-it-really-is-a-response-to-trauma-115549">We need to treat borderline personality disorder for what it really is – a response to trauma</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Confronting complacency</h2>
<p>The book begins with a short work by South Australian poet Manal Younus, titled “who is she”. This piece is a good place to start, as the poem creates an urge to self-reflect. The opening lines – “Who is she, the one who shares your face – but not your vision” – urge you to think about who could this be in your own life.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501763/original/file-20221219-22-58vw6m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501763/original/file-20221219-22-58vw6m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501763/original/file-20221219-22-58vw6m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501763/original/file-20221219-22-58vw6m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501763/original/file-20221219-22-58vw6m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501763/original/file-20221219-22-58vw6m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501763/original/file-20221219-22-58vw6m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501763/original/file-20221219-22-58vw6m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Manal Younus’s poem invites the reader to reflect on themselves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Booked Out</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The many pieces in this book seem not to be structured together for a specific purpose. They are varied in length, style, even orientation: some pieces, like The Argument by Benjamin Frater and The Z-A of Crazy by Alise Blayney, are oriented in landscape style (rather than the usual portrait orientation). The initial effect is jarring; it keeps the reader from complacency. </p>
<p>Sestina: Rape by Stuart Barnes includes a picture of the word “<a href="https://theconversation.com/consent-laws-arent-the-reason-for-low-sexual-assault-conviction-rates-its-how-society-views-rape-itself-157689">rape</a>” spelled out in a confronting diagram, following a shocking story of a man’s repeated rape, and its denial by others. The presentation of the diagram is deliberately stark, to highlight the horror of what the author experienced.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501771/original/file-20221219-22-jdaenu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501771/original/file-20221219-22-jdaenu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501771/original/file-20221219-22-jdaenu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=287&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501771/original/file-20221219-22-jdaenu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=287&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501771/original/file-20221219-22-jdaenu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=287&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501771/original/file-20221219-22-jdaenu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501771/original/file-20221219-22-jdaenu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501771/original/file-20221219-22-jdaenu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The editors also contribute pieces. Chowdhury’s description of the secrecy about mental illness in Bengali culture is beautifully described. In one section, she writes: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>There’s no one word for love in the Bengali language. A cursory google will reveal more than thirty words of varying nuance […] I trawled through the ones I know to find a suitable one to describe a mother’s anchoring grip.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Awad’s poem, Episode(s), cleverly and painfully illustrates the sense of gasping for oxygen during therapy and ends with: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I am still trying to convince
My lungs,
Oxygen has not left the room.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And Stavanger contributes seven brilliant paragraphs in his poem Suicide Dogs, which moves from describing dogs that leapt to their death in Scotland, to the many ways dogs prevent their owners from suicide. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-tough-love-to-interventions-what-works-when-a-loved-one-is-struggling-with-addiction-184138">From tough love to interventions, what works when a loved one is struggling with addiction?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Shocking reflections</h2>
<p>There are some well known contributors to this book, including Torres Strait Islander singer Christine Anu (writing about being censored) and former Australian of the Year, and advocate for survivors of sexual assault, Grace Tame. </p>
<p>Tame’s contribution is a punchy poem, titled Hard Pressed, which compares the press and hungry hounds. Prolific author Sandy Jeffs has a piece called The Madwoman in this Poem. As always, Jeffs’ description of her experiences is written without fear or favour, giving the reader a clear sense of her own journey through episodes of psychosis. She graphically depicts experiencing beliefs that famous people can read her mind, and that she can feel spiders eating her brain, as well as fears her head is about to explode.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/there-is-great-strength-in-vulnerability-grace-tames-surprising-irreverent-memoir-has-a-message-of-hope-191074">'There is great strength in vulnerability': Grace Tame's surprising, irreverent memoir has a message of hope</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Many of the pieces in Admissions may shock readers who have not read poems or pieces like this before, where rape, deliberate self-harm and suicide form the key content. </p>
<p>Images of one’s own dead body, as depicted in Bones by Luka Lesson, are difficult to deal with. Many pieces will sadden or frustrate. This is not a book to read lightly, or once, or in its entirety in one go: it requires several readings, at different times of life. It requires reflection between pieces. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501824/original/file-20221219-12-epagh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501824/original/file-20221219-12-epagh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501824/original/file-20221219-12-epagh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501824/original/file-20221219-12-epagh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501824/original/file-20221219-12-epagh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501824/original/file-20221219-12-epagh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501824/original/file-20221219-12-epagh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501824/original/file-20221219-12-epagh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Heidi Everett’s illustration accompanies her poem on schizophrenia, ‘Hon. Crazie Ship’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Upswell Publishing</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Admissions presents a kaleidoscope of emotions that shift with your own state of mind, as I found when I read this book over time. </p>
<p>Some hit me with ferocity (like Flesh by Hope One), while others moved me to tears (People Die in Seclusion Rooms by Anna Jacobson) – or to rage on behalf of the author (The Queue by Rebecca Rushbrook), or to chuckles (100 Points of ID To Prove I Don’t Exist by Darby Hudson. I was bamboozled by some pieces, like Paleochannel by Omar Musa, but I decided the author would like us to live with that confusion. </p>
<p>This book is not mainstream, and not for everyone – but I am glad it exists. I urge you to read it and get what you want from it. Then reread it later, and I bet you will get something different!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191011/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jayashri Kulkarni receives funding from NHMRC. She has worked with some of the authors in different contexts</span></em></p>Admissions, a varied collection by writers with lived experience of mental illness, is confronting, challenging, often surprising – and open to interpretation.Jayashri Kulkarni, Professor of Psychiatry, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1136052019-03-15T10:43:31Z2019-03-15T10:43:31ZWhy rich parents are more likely to be unethical<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263999/original/file-20190314-28492-1wkvjm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">William 'Rick' Singer founder of the Edge College & Career Network, pleaded guilty to charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/College-Admissions-Bribery/1f5e19e2662047c697f99d8ab55267f9/69/0">AP Photo/Steven Senne</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Federal attorneys in 2019 arrested 50 people in a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/us/college-admission-cheating-scheme/index.html">college admission scam</a> that allowed wealthy parents to buy their kids’ admission to elite universities. Prosecutors found that parents <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2019/03/12/college-admissions-cheating-scheme-fbi-presser-sot-vpx.cnn">together paid up to US$6.5 million</a> to get their kids into college. The list included celebrity parents such as actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.</p>
<p>Some might ask why did these parents fail to consider the moral implications of their actions? </p>
<p>My <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=c2Zunb8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">20 years of research in moral psychology</a> suggests many reasons why people behave in an unethical manner. When it comes to the wealthy, <a href="http://www-2.rotman.utoronto.ca/facbios/file/ROBSocialClass.pdf">research shows</a> that they will go to great lengths to maintain their higher status. A sense of entitlement plays a role.</p>
<h2>How people rationalize</h2>
<p>Let’s first consider what allows people to act unethically and yet not feel guilt or remorse.</p>
<p>Research shows that people are good at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01237.x">rationalizing unethical actions</a> that serve their self-interest. The success, or failure, of one’s children often has implications for how parents view themselves and are <a href="https://www.parents.com/health/parents-news-now/whoa-a-new-report-shows-pretty-much-all-parents-feel-judged/">viewed by others</a>. They are more likely to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/1977-10287-001">bask in the reflected glory</a> of their children. They seem to gain esteem based on their connection to successful children. This means parents can be motivated by self-interest to ensure their children’s achievement. </p>
<p>In the case of cheating for their children, parents can justify the behavior through comparisons that help them morally disengage with an action. For example, they could say that other parents’ do a lot worse things, or minimize the consequences of their actions through words such as, “My behavior did not cause much harm.” </p>
<p>Viewing the unethical outcomes as serving others, including one’s children, could help parents create a psychological distance to rationalize misconduct. Several studies demonstrate that people are more likely to be unethical <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2010.10.001">when their actions also help someone else</a>. For example, it is easier for employees to accept a bribe when they plan to share the proceeds with coworkers. </p>
<h2>Sense of entitlement</h2>
<p>When it comes to the wealthy and privileged, a sense of entitlement, or a belief that one is deserving of privileges over others, can play an important role in unethical conduct. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263983/original/file-20190314-28479-1sge5p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263983/original/file-20190314-28479-1sge5p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263983/original/file-20190314-28479-1sge5p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263983/original/file-20190314-28479-1sge5p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263983/original/file-20190314-28479-1sge5p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263983/original/file-20190314-28479-1sge5p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263983/original/file-20190314-28479-1sge5p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Being wealthy and privileged can lead to a sense of entitlement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dailymatador/1470586538/in/photolist-3eX99j-MMM6Av-gwRUWE-55gfi-3sgEz-3sgCK-7soKe-rHQaC-pTrvPR-cFh32J-tkHdL-cFhiD5-5FKXDw-5RmL6j-yJfVj-2M3fF-7NjtAZ-2M3dG-yJfH8-4sTXJf-2fBq7V-3EW9Ep-2G1nNB-ftQHq-ftQKe-ftQDS-ftQCD-ftQEi-pY5b6-3EVV8X-s1ieLt-5Lj6U3-4VdF1N-ftQMU-4wVMf-cFhFbN-cFhJsb-cFhFNo-cFhGNs-9U2t9c-PYbLQ-piWrm-aoEss2-6j5L43-5TDDDS-5VSZXQ-7oonKF-dZjkCu-aoEuon-52CGL">Bryan Fernandez/Flickr.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Privileged individuals are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617729885">less likely to follow rules and instructions</a> given they believe the rules are unjust. Because they feel deserving of more than their fair share, they are willing to violate norms of appropriate and socially agreed upon conduct.</p>
<p>Feeling a sense of entitlement also leads people to be more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8301_04">competitive, selfish and aggressive</a> when they sense a threat. For example, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597807000623">white males</a> are less likely to support affirmative action to even the playing field because it threatens their privileged status.</p>
<p>Research suggests that entitlement may come in part from being rich. Wealthy individuals who are considered as “upper class” based on their income have been found to <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/109/11/4086">lie, steal and cheat more</a> to get what they desire. They have also been found to be <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/112/52/15838">less generous</a>. They are more likely to break the law when driving, give less help to strangers in need, and generally <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797616667721">give others less attention</a>. </p>
<p>Additionally, growing up with wealth is associated with more <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/amj.2015.0680">narcissistic behavior</a>, which results in selfishness, expressing a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. </p>
<h2>Consequences of status loss</h2>
<p>Individuals who think they deserve unfair advantages are more likely to take actions to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218808501">increase their level of status</a>, such as ensuring their children attend high-status universities. Losing status appears to be particularly threatening for high-status individuals.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263991/original/file-20190314-28475-1p66wdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263991/original/file-20190314-28475-1p66wdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263991/original/file-20190314-28475-1p66wdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263991/original/file-20190314-28475-1p66wdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263991/original/file-20190314-28475-1p66wdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263991/original/file-20190314-28475-1p66wdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263991/original/file-20190314-28475-1p66wdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wealthy parents can fear they are losing status if their children do not attend top colleges.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/success?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.shutterstock.com%2Fgatekeeper%2FW3siZSI6MTU1MjYxNzg4OCwiYyI6Il9waG90b19zZXNzaW9uX2lkIiwiZGMiOiJpZGxfMTcyMDgxMTkzIiwiayI6InBob3RvLzE3MjA4MTE5My9tZWRpdW0uanBnIiwibSI6MSwiZCI6InNodXR0ZXJzdG9jay1tZWRpYSJ9LCI5N2ZtMERVZVFwZ3cxT2l0MGE2czV1dy95VnciXQ%2Fshutterstock_172081193.jpg&pi=33421636&m=172081193">michaeljung/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A recent review of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104602">research on status</a> demonstrates that status loss, or even a fear of status loss, has been associated with an increase in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.4869">suicide attempts</a>. Individuals have been reported to show <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.609">physiological changes such as higher blood pressure and pulse</a>. </p>
<p>Such individuals also made increased <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103109003138">efforts to avoid status loss</a> by being willing to pay money and allocating resources to themselves.</p>
<p>In their book <a href="https://www.thecoddling.com/">“The Coddling of the American Mind,”</a> First Amendment expert <a href="https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1555/greg-lukianoff">Greg Lukianoff</a> and social psychologist <a href="https://haidt.socialpsychology.org/">Jonathan Haidt</a> make the case that parents, especially in the upper class, are increasingly anxious about their children attending top universities. </p>
<p>These authors argue that given economic prospects are less certain because of <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/07/for-most-us-workers-real-wages-have-barely-budged-for-decades/">stagnating wages</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/one-third-of-us-workers-could-be-jobless-by-2030-due-to-automation.html">automation</a> and <a href="http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/09/26/americans-like-many-in-other-advanced-economies-not-convinced-of-trades-benefits/">globalization</a>, wealthier parents tend to be particularly <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/social-mobility-memos/2016/07/12/why-rich-parents-are-terrified-their-kids-will-fall-into-the-middle-class/">concerned about the future economic opportunities</a> for their children. </p>
<h2>Feeling invulnerable</h2>
<p>People who feel a sense of power, which often comes along with wealth and fame, tend to be less likely to believe they are vulnerable to the detrimental consequences of unethical behavior. </p>
<p>Experiencing a psychological sense of power leads to a false <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303171451.htm">feeling of control</a>. It could also lead to increased <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-10429-007">risk-taking</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01824.x">a decrease in concern for others</a>. </p>
<p>It is possible that some of these moral psychology reasons were behind these wealthy parents cheating on behalf of their children. A desire to go to great lengths to help one’s child is admirable. However, when those lengths cross ethical boundaries it is a step too far.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113605/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David M. Mayer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An expert explains the many reasons why people behave in an unethical manner and what research shows on why the wealthy have a need to maintain their higher status.David M. Mayer, Professor of Management & Organizations, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/796262017-06-27T01:04:06Z2017-06-27T01:04:06ZElite public schools that rely on entry exams fail the diversity test<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175401/original/file-20170623-17473-1dgwqa0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Stuyvesant High School students arrive on the first day in 2015.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Mark Lennihan</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The jewels in many an urban school district’s crown are their exam schools, competitive public schools that base enrollment on test scores. With a school like New York’s <a href="http://stuy.enschool.org/">Stuyvesant</a>, <a href="http://www.bls.org/">Boston Latin</a> or <a href="http://www.wpcp.org/">Walter Payton</a> (in Chicago) on their transcript, students are grouped with other, high-achieving peers, receive rigorous instruction and complete several Advanced Placement courses – all helping to clear a straight path to college and career success.</p>
<p>Hailed as <a href="http://observer.com/2007/08/stuyvesant-high-school-the-ultimate-meritocracy/">promoting meritocracy</a>, exam schools in fact <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/opinion/the-truth-about-new-york-citys-elite-high-schools.html">promote inequity</a>, especially for black and Latino students.</p>
<p>Working for over 25 years at the K-12 and higher education levels (as both a faculty member and administrator), I’ve seen this skewed enrollment pattern play out over and over again. However, several elite U.S. colleges and universities are embracing new admissions policies – policies that, if also implemented by top-tier exam schools, could promote greater access for all students.</p>
<h2>The minority enrollment gap</h2>
<p>When it comes to student diversity, elite high schools leave much to be desired.</p>
<p>Take New York City, for example. This past spring, the city’s eight exam schools (among them <a href="http://stuy.enschool.org/">Stuyvesant</a>, <a href="http://www.bths.edu/">Brooklyn Tech</a> and <a href="http://www.bxscience.edu/">Bronx Science</a>) accepted 5,078 rising ninth grade students solely based on test scores. This, despite New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s <a href="http://nyckidspac.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/NYC-Kids-PAC-Questionnaire-Bill-de-Blasio.pdf#page=4">campaign promise</a> to base admissions to all schools on more “holistic” factors. </p>
<p>Black and Latino students will make up only <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/opinion/the-truth-about-new-york-citys-elite-high-schools.html">10 percent</a> of this year’s incoming class – though they account for 70 percent of public school students in New York City. At Stuyvesant this fall, only 13 students out of almost 1,000 incoming freshmen will be black.</p>
<p>Even with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/05/09/admissions-boston-latin-school-other-exam-schools-lacking-diversity-advocates-say/hwlwBqU9zNm0ZfRzMQeSVJ/story.html">recent efforts</a> to improve racial and ethnic diversity among its exam schools, Boston has also faced enrollment equity challenges. At Boston’s flagship public exam high school, Boston Latin School, the student body remains significantly white and Asian. The school’s incoming seventh grade class, for example, is only eight percent black and 14 percent Latino, in contrast to district-wide rates of approximately 32 percent black and 42 percent Latino.</p>
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<h2>Rethinking admissions policies</h2>
<p>As long as admission to exam schools is based solely on test scores or grades, this pattern may very well continue indefinitely.</p>
<p>Black and Latino students are just as capable and deserving of exam classroom seats as other students. However, they must contend with a range of factors that often don’t impact their nonminority counterparts, including <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100422153804.htm">poor-quality instruction</a> at lower grades; unequal access to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/06/inequality-public-schools/395876/">tutoring, test prep and enrichment</a>; low <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/07/19/scrutiny-for-superintendent-tommy-chang-plan-expand-access-advanced-work-classes/ZHxmuOLCRvPTRgzrQJafjL/story.html">placement of elementary students</a> into advanced classes; and <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2017/03/20/the-insidiousness-of-unconscious-bias-in-schools/">unconscious bias</a>. Minority students also can contend with <a href="http://www.apa.org/research/action/stereotype.aspx">stereotype threat</a>, a phenomenon where they conform – often unintentionally – to negative stereotypes about their race’s ability to perform well within academic settings.</p>
<p>These factors can all negatively affect success on the standardized tests and grades that exam schools use for admissions.</p>
<p>A solution to breaking this pattern may come from several elite colleges and universities that are rethinking their admissions policies. Led by <a href="http://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/">Making Caring Common</a>, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, these institutions are piloting new admissions policies that focus less on numbers and more on “ethical engagement.”</p>
<p>In a report released in January 2016, Making Caring Common argued for elite colleges and universities to include opportunities for candidates to submit <a href="http://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/files/gse-mcc/files/20160120_mcc_ttt_execsummary_interactive.pdf">authentic demonstrations of empathy, service to others and commitment to the common good</a> as part of their application. They contend that these important values are worth promoting to students and families. In fact, research suggests that strength of character and “grit” are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087">key determinants of future academic and career success</a>.</p>
<p>Importantly, these new metrics could weigh social and emotional attributes that students across all backgrounds could exemplify in some way.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175392/original/file-20170623-29849-1b465u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175392/original/file-20170623-29849-1b465u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175392/original/file-20170623-29849-1b465u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175392/original/file-20170623-29849-1b465u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175392/original/file-20170623-29849-1b465u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175392/original/file-20170623-29849-1b465u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175392/original/file-20170623-29849-1b465u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bronx Academy for Software Engineering hosted a community service day in May 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmannion/33788452493/">Jon Mannion</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A movement gaining traction</h2>
<p>Since the report’s release, <a href="https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/collegeadmissions">over 175 colleges and universities</a> – including Harvard, Yale, Boston College, MIT, Michigan State and the University of Chicago – have endorsed this admissions framework, with the goal of increasing student diversity. Boston public schools and several Boston-area private schools have endorsed the report as well.</p>
<p>Yet Boston, New York and other cities with exam schools must now “walk the walk” by implementing concrete approaches, such as asking for examples of ethical engagement or empathy as part of the application process. A school might give special consideration, for example, to candidates who worked to support their families at an early age, served as caregivers to younger siblings, organized efforts to support a needy classmate or led a food drive to help a local shelter.</p>
<p>Exam schools across the country could team with Making Caring Common and its growing list of higher education partners to determine how best to validly and reliably collect, evaluate and weight these types of student experiences. </p>
<p>If this new strategy to promote enrollment equity is gaining traction at Harvard and Yale, it should be considered by exam high schools as well. Otherwise, future incoming classes at Stuyvesant and Boston Latin will continue to look much the same.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79626/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jake Murray does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Elite exam schools are some of the least diverse public schools in the US. Here’s how colleges like Harvard could teach high schools like Stuyvesant to improve their admissions process.Jake Murray, Faculty Director for Professional Education, BU School of Education, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/792242017-06-15T04:03:00Z2017-06-15T04:03:00ZDear students, what you post can wreck your life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173436/original/file-20170612-3809-okxd5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-worried-roommates-reading-bad-news-556708990?src=jwiFJHKMkpaxMisAB8pyaA-1-0">Antonio Guillem/shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Dear Student,</p>
<p>Harvard recently <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-rescinds-student-acceptances-over-obscene-facebook-memes-2017-6">rescinded admission offers</a> for some incoming freshmen who participated in a private Facebook group sharing offensive memes. The incident has sparked a lot of discussion: Was Harvard’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/09/learning/did-harvard-go-too-far-in-its-decision-to-rescind-admission-to-10-incoming-freshmen.html">decision</a> justified? What about the <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2017/06/07/harvard-rescinded-acceptances-private-facebook-posts-doesnt-violate-first-amendment/">First Amendment?</a> Do young people know the <a href="http://nypost.com/2017/06/06/how-can-harvard-kids-still-not-understand-that-what-happens-online-doesnt-stay-online/">dangers of social media?</a></p>
<p>I’m a business school lecturer, career services counselor and former recruiter, and I’ve seen how social media becomes part of a person’s brand – a brand that can help you or hurt you.</p>
<p><a href="http://press.kaptest.com/press-releases/kaplan-test-prep-survey-college-admissions-officers-say-social-media-increasingly-affects-applicants-chances">College admissions staff</a>, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?sd=4%2f28%2f2016&siteid=cbpr&sc_cmp1=cb_pr945_&id=pr945&ed=12%2f31%2f2016">future employers</a> and even <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/10/21/online-dating-relationships">potential dates</a> are more and more likely to check your profile and make decisions or judgments about you.</p>
<p>Here’s what you should know so you don’t end up like those Harvard prospects.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173444/original/file-20170612-1873-1xuec6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173444/original/file-20170612-1873-1xuec6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173444/original/file-20170612-1873-1xuec6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173444/original/file-20170612-1873-1xuec6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173444/original/file-20170612-1873-1xuec6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173444/original/file-20170612-1873-1xuec6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173444/original/file-20170612-1873-1xuec6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The rescinded Harvard admissions have sparked debate over First Amendment rights to free speech.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cambridge-ma-may-29-students-harvard-197551889?src=zzQ6Ds1FUrXmj9TF-xRVcg-1-48">f11photo/shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>1. Social media posts disappear, right?</h2>
<p>Let’s be clear about one thing: You’ve been building your online reputation since your first Snapchat. Think the posts disappear? Think private pages are private? Think again.</p>
<p>You might feel like your life and opinions are no one’s business, but you can’t always control <a href="http://www.askamanager.org/2015/09/i-was-fired-after-a-stranger-sent-photos-of-my-private-text-messages-to-my-employer.html">who sees what you post</a>. Every photo, video, tweet, like and comment could be <a href="https://mic.com/articles/150198/people-are-dragging-miss-teen-usa-2016-karlie-hay-for-using-the-n-word-a-lot-on-twitter#.xfuFXLXqF">screenshotted</a> by your friends (or frenemies). You might make a mistake with your privacy settings or post to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/kitchen-aid-twitter-tweet-obama-grandmother_n_1938031.html">the wrong account</a>. And a determined online sleuth can sometimes find ways around privacy settings, viewing photos and posts you might think are well hidden.</p>
<h2>2. Do employers and colleges actually look at this stuff?</h2>
<p>Your profile will very likely be scrutinized by college admissions officers and employers. According to CareerBuilder’s 2017 <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/number-of-employers-using-social-media-to-screen-candidates-at-all-time-high-finds-latest-careerbuilder-study-300474228.html">social media recruitment survey</a>, social media screening is through the roof:</p>
<ul>
<li>600 percent increase since 2006 in employers using social media to screen</li>
<li>70 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates</li>
<li>34 percent of employers found online content that caused them to reprimand or fire an employee</li>
</ul>
<p>This trend is common with admissions as well. Kaplan Test Prep’s 2017 <a href="http://press.kaptest.com/press-releases/kaplan-test-prep-survey-college-admissions-officers-say-social-media-increasingly-affects-applicants-chances">survey of over 350 college admissions officers</a> found that 35 percent checked applicants’ social media profiles. Many who do said social media has influenced their admission decisions.</p>
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3iWI7/7/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" width="100%" height="600"></iframe>
<h2>3. What are recruiters watching out for?</h2>
<p>So what are the potential hazards to avoid? These are some of the types of posts that left a bad impression on me when I used to recruit:</p>
<ul>
<li>References to illegal drugs, sexual posts</li>
<li>Incriminating or embarrassing photos or videos</li>
<li>Profanity, defamatory or racist comments</li>
<li>Politically charged attacks</li>
<li>Spelling and grammar issues</li>
<li>Complaining or bad-mouthing – What’s to say you wouldn’t do the same to a new school, company, boss, or peer?</li>
</ul>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"12944403659"}"></div></p>
<h2>4. What can I do to build a positive online reputation?</h2>
<p>Remember, social media is not all bad; in many cases it helps recruiters get a good feel for your personality and potential fit. The CareerBuilder survey found <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/number-of-employers-using-social-media-to-screen-candidates-at-all-time-high-finds-latest-careerbuilder-study-300474228.html">44 percent of employers</a> who screened candidates via social networks found positive information that caused them to hire a candidate.</p>
<p>From my experience, the following information can support and confirm a candidate’s resume:</p>
<ul>
<li>Your education and experiences match the recruiter’s requirements</li>
<li>Your profile picture and summary is professional</li>
<li>Your personality and interests align with the values of the company or university </li>
<li>Your involvement in community or social organizations shows character</li>
<li>Positive, supportive comments, responses, or testimonials</li>
</ul>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"869743954735939586"}"></div></p>
<h2>5. How do I clean things up?</h2>
<p>Research. Both the college of your dreams and your future employer could Google you, so you should do the same thing. Also check all of your social media profiles – even the ones you haven’t used for a while – and get rid of anything that could send the wrong message. Remember, things can’t be unseen. </p>
<p>Bottom line: Would you want a future boss, admissions officer, or blind date to read or see it? If not, don’t post it. If you already have, delete it.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Your Career Counselor</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79224/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thao Nelson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>To post or not to post? Colleges and employers are increasingly checking social media to get a sense of their candidates. Here’s what you should (and shouldn’t) post in order to secure your future.Thao Nelson, Lecturer, Kelley School of Business, Indiana UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/640812016-08-19T10:06:57Z2016-08-19T10:06:57ZUniversity clearing: a view for and against<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134486/original/image-20160817-3571-1p47gz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Can clearing can give you a second chance to decide what you want to study?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ImageFlow/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A-level results day sees highs and lows for many thousands of students across the country waiting to receive their grades. For every jubilant smile relieved to have secured a place at university, there is also the anxious grimace of the student who hasn’t quite made the grade. </p>
<p>Last year <a href="https://www.ucas.com/sites/default/files/28-aug-overview-all.pdf">41,530 students went into clearing</a> – the process universities use to fill spaces they have left on courses with those who didn’t make it into their first choice – meaning <a href="https://www.ucas.com/sites/default/files/28-aug-overview-all.pdf">roughly 10%</a> of all students found their way to university this way. But does the system actually work? </p>
<p>Below, two experts give their thoughts on the highs and lows of the clearing system:</p>
<h2>‘The current system needs reforming’</h2>
<p><em>Elizabeth Houghton is a PhD candidate at Lancaster University, whose research looks at how “marketised” higher education can impact student choice</em></p>
<p>The advice around clearing is consistently framed as “don’t panic” – but with <a href="http://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Earnings-by-Degrees-REPORT.pdf">increasing evidence</a> of the difference in job prospects and salaries of graduates from different ranks of universities – it is easy to understand why a sudden change could come as a shock to the system. </p>
<p>The reality of the university admissions system is that students must sell themselves to universities, but universities also need to sell themselves to students. And while clearing phone lines are often presented as “helplines”, they are also in reality sales lines.</p>
<p>The onus is on applicants to scramble for places in a “highly competitive environment” when universities actually need students – and the revenue they bring. Especially now the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/aug/13/more-calls-more-competition-inside-sussex-university-clearing-hub">cap on student numbers is off</a>. For some universities clearing is one way to bump up intake and income. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134493/original/image-20160817-3578-rblsn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134493/original/image-20160817-3578-rblsn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134493/original/image-20160817-3578-rblsn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134493/original/image-20160817-3578-rblsn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134493/original/image-20160817-3578-rblsn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134493/original/image-20160817-3578-rblsn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134493/original/image-20160817-3578-rblsn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many university clearing centres are staffed by current students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Instead of the current system, we need to develop an effective admissions policy that gives students the chance to apply to university with the most important information: their grades. This reformed system would follow the logic of clearing, and give students the chance to apply for university <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-33861672">after they have received their grades</a> – taking some of the panic out of the process. </p>
<p>But it is clear we are still someway off that point, given the way clearing currently operates. This raises some timely questions for anyone serious about the need for student choice in higher education – whether it operates in market terms of not. </p>
<h2>“Clearing is a major asset to students”</h2>
<p><em>Bhavik Patel is a biochemist at the University of Brighton, who came through clearing to study at the university</em></p>
<p>I know better than most about the clearing process and have seen firsthand
how the experience has <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2016/08/08/ucas-clearing-a-level-results-day-myths-and-reality/">changed dramatically</a> over the years. When I went through clearing ten years ago, it was nerve-racking and you didn’t know how to approach universities. </p>
<p>Back then, it was often shrouded in a dogma of failure. For universities, being in clearing was seen as a sign of weakness, that they were unable to fill course spaces. But now, clearing is a major asset to students.</p>
<p>So as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/aug/16/pick-a-course-that-gives-you-the-best-chance-of-success-in-clearing">clearing</a> comes around again this year, students should be seeing it as an opportunity, not a setback. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134488/original/image-20160817-3573-172qjol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134488/original/image-20160817-3573-172qjol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134488/original/image-20160817-3573-172qjol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134488/original/image-20160817-3573-172qjol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134488/original/image-20160817-3573-172qjol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134488/original/image-20160817-3573-172qjol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134488/original/image-20160817-3573-172qjol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Clearing shouldn’t be viewed as a second rate process.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Matej Kastelic/shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It provided me with a second chance in life and made me more focused. It made me determined to prove I was better than the grades. This determination led to be winning the GlaxoSmithKline Emerging Scientist of the Year Award. And in 2015 I won the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Science Award, which is presented to a scientist with a proven record of independent research and published work that shows outstanding promise – not bad for someone who didn’t make the grades.</p>
<p>My career has seen me travel to different countries working with some of the top names in science. Without clearing, none of this would have happened. It has truly helped to shape me into the scientist I am now.</p>
<p>From being a process where students would be judged, clearing is now the norm and has become a vibrant process of opportunity, where students may even obtain places on courses at universities they seldom felt they could achieve.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64081/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Houghton receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. She is affiliated with the Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency and is a member of the Labour Party.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bhavik Patel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Does the university clearing system work?Elizabeth Houghton, PhD candidate in Sociology, Lancaster UniversityBhavik Patel, Reader in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of BrightonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.