[466] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: In Defense of Affirmative Action
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Christopher D. Beland)
Wed May 2 15:43:50 2001
Message-Id: <200105021943.PAA11255@Press-Your-Luck.mit.edu>
To: matt <deberg@xennahtron.com>
cc: mit-talk@MIT.EDU
In-reply-to: The events that comprise the history of the universe.
Date: Wed, 02 May 2001 15:43:17 -0400
From: "Christopher D. Beland" <beland@MIT.EDU>
> but random selection is just yes or no at the individual level! no
> one individual could claim that they would have gotten in had race
> not been a factor.
But an individual that is not a member of an underrepresented minority
can claim that their application was not evaluated fairly, and that
there should have been a higher chance that they be admitted.
I think the legal system's handling of such a case confirms the
intuition that there is potential for real harm to individuals. While
it might not be reasonable for a court siding with a plantiff suing on
such a basis to order that they be admitted, it would be entirely
feasible for the court to order a race-blind re-run.
