The race question: No reason not to ask

Penn is surprisingly honest in its intentions when asking applicants to indicate their race and ethnicity. The University "seeks to draw students from all racial and ethnic groups in our society."

In other words, they want diversity.

Not all universities will admit such ambitions. The Common Application provides the option to indicate ones race with a caveat that the information will not be used in a discriminatory manner. Several public universities, like the University of Washington, assure that the information is used only for statistical purposes. And most schools merely ask the optional question with little explanation.

Even if not explicitly stated, it's implausible to believe this information would not play some role in admissions decisions.

By asking the question, Penn's application actually acknowledges that fact.

And I fully support those intentions because ethnic and racial diversity are an asset to the Penn community. These are the grounds upon which Justice Lewis Powell issued his deciding opinion in the original landmark affirmative action Supreme Court case, University of California v. Bakke, an opinion -- like the more recent Michigan suits -- that recognized the innate value of diversity.

The importance of diversity, in general, is an unremarkable observation. Geographic upbringing has some impact on your admission chances, even though such information is unrelated to general conceptions of merit. The contribution such geographic diversity adds to this campus is accepted by most students. It certainly is not an optional question on the application. Neither is gender, another category in which schools seek diversity.

So why is the quest for racial and ethnic diversity controversial?

A person's contribution to this campus clearly cannot be generalized by the racial affiliations listed on an application. But I disagree that this negates the value of racial diversity -- in fact, it makes the argument even stronger.

As Rosa Parks' death reminded us last month, the blatant, profound inequality and discrimination that once sparked the Civil Rights movement is not that far in our past. Progress has certainly been made, but we still live in a society where stereotypes flourish and discrimination remains, although in a more subtle context. Racial and ethnic diversity certainly has the potential to expose students to a wider array of cultures and backgrounds. Perhaps more importantly, it encourages students to confront these subtle, ingrained societal assumptions and latent stereotypes of what is "representative" of any given ethnicity.

The value of such diversity at Penn may be somewhat compromised by the excess of opportunities to form cliquish communities. However, those who decry "self-segregating" communities like DuBois College House should be sure to lay equal blame at the feet of those who spend much of their time in homogenous Greek organizations.

Fortunately, there are just as many opportunities for students at Penn to benefit from its diversity: numerous organizations, residential programs and classroom interaction. It's difficult to argue that these occasions are not worth the emphasis placed on diversity in the admissions process.

We are far past the times of valuing someone based solely on their SAT scores and GPA. In selecting students the admissions office has to rely on a composite picture of who each applicant is. And while race is not a defining characteristic of any applicant, it is inevitably a part of someone's identity in today's society. The assumption that this inclusion somehow compromises other considerations of merit is unfair.

As one of three coordinators for a freshman pre-orientation program this past summer, I shared the difficult task of selecting 30 participants from a pool of applicants almost three times that size.

Indications of race certainly played a role in the final selection process. As did hometown, gender, relevant experience and, of course, the essays themselves.

There was no system of points for under-represented minorities or hometowns outside of New Jersey and Long Island. Each component of the application fit together to form a final picture of the student. We sought a diverse group in order to make the experience lively and engaging. The strength of an individual applicant depended upon the strengths of other applciants.

Likewise, the Penn community's greatest asset is not the accomplishments of single individuals; it is how all of those talented individuals interact and learn from one another. Racial and ethnic diversity enrich those interactions and our community. It certainly has a place in deciding who will make up that community.

Shannon Jensen is a senior real estate, business and public policy and urban studies major from Annapolis, Md. Above Board appears on Mondays.

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