Category: Academia

University politics and administrators.

ChatGPT applies to college under the new race-based system

by philg

The old race-based college admissions system has been axed by the Supreme Court. Fortunately, however, the majority has explained how colleges can run a new race-based system: “At the same time, nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life” (state-sponsored NPR).

I asked ChatGPT to “Write a college application essay that describes how race affected the applicant’s life”. The result is below.

Title: The Kaleidoscope of My Identity: Growing Through Diversity

When we look through the prisms of a kaleidoscope, we see a myriad of colors coalesce to form shifting patterns that somehow manage to be distinct yet harmoniously integrated. I’ve always thought of my racial background and identity in the same way, a fascinating kaleidoscope of my existence. I am of mixed racial heritage; my mother is African-American and my father is Korean. My life has been an amalgamation of experiences, both enlightening and challenging, which have shaped me into the person I am today. This essay attempts to articulate the pivotal role that race has played in my life, weaving together the strands of my diverse heritage.

Growing up as a biracial individual in a predominantly white community, I was like a patchwork quilt sewn together with pieces of different colors and patterns. At times, the vividness of my patchwork stood out, a stark contrast against a uniform backdrop. I was always the one with the “different” lunch at school – a soulful blend of kimchi and collard greens, a representation of the intersectionality of my racial heritage.

These experiences taught me about the beauty of my unique identity, but they also exposed me to the harsh realities of prejudice and stereotypes. I was often at the crossroads of preconceived notions about my races – too “Asian” to fit into the “Black” group and too “Black” to be “Asian.” The overlapping stereotypes created a paradox that was challenging to navigate. It was a roller-coaster journey, filled with moments of pride, confusion, self-doubt, and self-discovery.

However, this journey shaped my perspective about the world. I learned to challenge stereotypes, not just for myself but also for others who faced similar obstacles. It instilled in me an insatiable curiosity to understand the complexity of human experiences and the importance of fostering a society that values diversity.

In middle school, I channeled this curiosity into action. I co-founded a multicultural club to create a safe space where everyone, regardless of their racial or ethnic background, could share their experiences and learn about each other’s cultures. We hosted cultural fairs, diversity workshops, and initiated dialogues around race and identity, fostering a sense of acceptance and inclusivity within our school community.

This was an empowering experience as it allowed me to use my racial identity as a tool to bring about change, cultivating an environment where every student’s ‘kaleidoscope’ could be celebrated. The ability to turn a challenge into an opportunity for growth and empowerment is a lesson I’ve carried with me throughout my life.

High school brought a new dimension to my understanding of race as I delved into historical and sociopolitical contexts. I learned how race and systemic racism have shaped societies. I realized the privilege of education and the responsibility that came with it. This realization led me to volunteer at a local community center where I tutored children from underprivileged backgrounds, reinforcing my commitment to contribute to a more equitable society.

In college, I aspire to further this commitment. I plan to major in sociology to deepen my understanding of racial dynamics and use this knowledge to enact systemic change. I want to continue to celebrate diversity, challenge stereotypes, and create spaces where everyone feels seen, valued, and accepted.

Through the lens of my kaleidoscope, I see my unique racial background not as a hurdle but as an opportunity to learn, grow, and make a difference. It has taught me resilience, empathy, and the ability to appreciate the beauty in our differences. It has molded me into a compassionate leader, a keen learner, and an advocate for change.

The story of my racial journey is not just about me, but about how I hope to use my experiences to create a world where every kaleidoscope is celebrated. As I apply to college, I bring with me not only the colors of my own racial identity but also a commitment to understand, value, and advocate for the diverse ‘colors’ of others.

Let’s try a slightly different prompt:

Write a college application essay that describes how race affected the applicant’s life. The applicant is white and his hobbies are yachting, golf, and court tennis. His parents bought him a Lucid Air on his 16th birthday.

Title: The Voyage of Privilege: Navigating my Journey of Awareness and Understanding

I have spent much of my life on boats and golf courses, partaking in activities that, historically, are associated with the privileged echelons of society. Yachting, golf, court tennis, they have not only been my hobbies but also metaphors for my life, with its fairways and harbors marked by my racial identity. Born into a white, affluent family, I am keenly aware that my journey has been significantly shaped by the privileges my race and socioeconomic status have afforded me. This realization, though initially uncomfortable, has served as a catalyst for self-awareness, empathy, and meaningful action.

I remember the day of my 16th birthday vividly. A shiny new Lucid Air, wrapped like a gleaming symbol of privilege, awaited me in our driveway. It was a gesture of love from my parents, but it also served as a stark reminder of the privileged life I lead. It struck me then that my reality was not a universal one, and I found myself contemplating the profound disparities that continue to exist in society.

My school was predominantly white, much like my neighborhood. However, my hobbies exposed me to a more diverse demographic. I began to notice the glaring underrepresentation of people of color in my golf club and on the tennis court. I started to question the systemic barriers that might be preventing their participation. Moreover, the realization that these activities were often seen as ‘white sports’ made me question how my race influenced my access and acceptance in these spaces.

These observations led me to confront my white privilege and the systemic racial advantages I’ve benefited from. However, acknowledging privilege was just the beginning. It was essential to understand how I could leverage it to address racial disparities. I recognized that my privileged position offered me the resources, voice, and opportunity to effect change.

I started by spearheading diversity initiatives in my school, using my role as the student council president. I lobbied for more inclusive curriculum and hiring practices, ensuring the representation of more diverse voices. We organized workshops and discussions on white privilege and systemic racism to foster a culture of understanding and empathy among students.

Outside school, I focused on my hobbies. I worked with the local yacht club and golf course to initiate scholarship programs for young individuals from marginalized communities. We offered training and mentorship programs, intending to diversify participation and break down the systemic barriers prevalent in these sports.

Moreover, I took up a part-time job and saved a portion of my earnings to contribute to educational scholarships for underprivileged students. I believe that access to quality education is a significant step towards addressing racial and social disparities, and I hope to continue supporting this cause in college and beyond.

My understanding of my racial identity and privilege has significantly shaped my worldview and aspirations. I aim to major in Sociology and Public Policy in college to deepen my understanding of systemic racism and explore ways to contribute to a more equitable society. I hope to combine this knowledge with my love for sports, working towards creating equal opportunities in sports administration in the future.

As I prepare to embark on my college journey, I bring with me not just my white identity, but also an understanding of the privileges it entails. I carry a commitment to use these privileges as tools for change, and a desire to learn and grow in an environment that values diversity and inclusion. The winds of change are upon us, and I am eager to set sail, to navigate uncharted waters, and to use my privilege to effect meaningful change.

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Supreme Court Justices agree with Harvard that Asians have no personality

by philg

The nation’s most enthusiastic racialists have had their sails trimmed. “Supreme Court Strikes Down Race-Based Admissions at Harvard and U.N.C.” (New York Times):

Race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional… Former President Barack Obama, who broke the color barrier in the nation’s highest office with his election in 2008, denounced the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to eliminate race-based affirmative action in college admissions.

For those of us with Asian friends, however, there is a silver lining. Wikipedia:

Dissent: Sotomayor, joined by Kagan, Jackson[a]
Dissent Jackson[a], joined by Sotomayor, Kagan

We can now tell Asians that at least two of the nation’s top judges have officially confirmed Harvard’s diagnosis of Asians as having no personality. (“Harvard consistently rated Asian-American applicants lower than others on traits like “positive personality,” likability, courage, kindness and being “widely respected,” according to an analysis of more than 160,000 student records filed Friday by a group representing Asian-American students in a lawsuit against the university.” (NYT 2018))

MIT is already set up to keep its victimhood apparatus going. The Infinite Corridor earlier this week was devoid of victimhood-by-skin-color signs. The new religion is discrimination by “class”:

How will the victimhood administrators determine the class membership of an applicant for a job or a degree? Maybe by skin color?

From https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/tag/case-class-awareness-support-and-equality/:

Here’s some interesting text:

As far as admissions goes, I have heard people say things like “I didn’t get in because I wasn’t enough of a special snowflake” or “They probably gave my spot to a minority.” I have also heard people (@me) say “I probably only got in because I’m a girl.” This is a toxic mindset that was discussed in the forum. Sure, no college admissions process is perfect. However, you don’t get accepted or rejected for your identity. If you got in, rest assured that you are qualified, you are capable, and you have potential. If you didn’t get in, you may also be all of these things and simply not an ideal fit for the school– but you didn’t get turned away for something as trivial as the concentration of melanin in your skin.

The Supreme Court majority found exactly the opposite: students did get accepted or rejected for their identity.

A great NYT photo:

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ChatGPT applies to college

by philg

It’s college acceptance letter time. If your child doesn’t get in, consider whether he/she/ze/they should have used ChatGPT to do the authoring. Here’s an essay penned by the Nvidia chips:

As a 17-year-old Black girl, I have had to navigate a world that is not always kind to those who look like me. Even with the privilege of growing up in a family with a wealthy investment banker as my father, my family has not been immune to the ravages of racism.

One concrete example of this was when my family was denied parking for our Gulfstream G650 while a white family was allowed to park a ragged-out Cessna Citation V. This was not just an inconvenience; it was a blatant act of discrimination that left us feeling vulnerable and disrespected.

These experiences have only deepened my passion for justice and equity, and have led me to pursue a major in Africana Studies at Oberlin College. I believe that by studying the history and culture of the African diaspora, I can help others who have faced similar challenges to mine.

I have seen firsthand how systemic racism impacts the Black community, from the disparities in access to quality education and healthcare to the over-policing and criminalization of Black bodies. I know that by studying Africana Studies, I will be able to better understand the complexities of these issues and the ways in which they intersect with other forms of oppression, such as sexism and homophobia.

I am eager to use the knowledge and skills that I gain through my degree to help others who have been affected by racism and other forms of injustice. I want to be a voice for the voiceless and to advocate for change in my community and beyond.

I believe that my proposed major in Africana Studies will equip me with the tools that I need to become an effective advocate for justice and equity. It will help me to understand the historical and cultural contexts of systemic oppression, and to work towards dismantling these systems of inequality.

In conclusion, I am excited to pursue my degree in Africana Studies at Oberlin College. I know that it will challenge me to think critically and deeply about issues of social justice, and that it will prepare me to be a leader and a change-maker in my community and beyond. I am committed to using my education to help others who have been affected by racism and other forms of oppression, and to create a world that is more just and equitable for all.

Here’s my prompt:

(Note that I would personally love to suffer the inconvenience and disrespect of being refused parking for my Gulfstream G650!)

From the Harvard Coop, March 11, 2023:

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Should college applicants have to write essays in a monitored environment?

by philg

The college application season is mostly over. My friends whose kids were applying don’t have to edit essays anymore. I wonder if the system could be made more equitable by preventing parents from assisting with essay-writing, either by editing/authoring themselves or hiring a professional writer. If a child has Harvard-educated parents or parents wealthy enough to hire a New Yorker writer, he/she/ze/they has a huge advantage as an essayist compared to a child from a low-income low-education family.

Why not make the essay writing like the SATs? Kids go into a big room after being stripped of electronic devices and use a computer provided by the test administrator to write whatever they want. Rich kids can still get an advantage by acquiring a diagnosis of a learning disability that requires unlimited time, but it won’t be as huge as what they have now.

Maybe this is a dumb question because any kid who wants to get into college can simply check one of the Elizabeth Warren boxes (e.g., “Native American”) and sail through.

Suppose that the applicant turns out to be a great writer? Here’s what he/she/ze/they will find at MIT (as of January 2023):

You don’t think of a science and engineering school as the natural home of accomplished writers? It worked for me. Before I came to MIT, my vocabulary was small. Now it is big.

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College-level thinking: overthrow capitalism and pay $trillions in reparations

by philg

Florida’s state Department of Education’s rejection of the College Board’s AP African American Studies Course (already obsolete? Why isn’t it called “Black Studies”?) provides a window into the problems being tackled by America’s best academic minds.

First, most media articles on this controversy are likely mostly false. “Ron DeSantis government bans new advanced African American history course” (BBC) says the course is “banned” and that it was done by Ron DeSantis and staff. The New York Times:

Florida will not allow a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies to be offered in its high schools, stating that the course is not “historically accurate” and violates state law. … Even before Mr. DeSantis signed the contentious laws last year restricting what can be taught, his administration rejected dozens of math textbooks for use in public school classrooms, claiming their incorporation of social-emotional learning and critical race theory.

See “Florida school boards, not state officials, choose textbooks” (Miami Herald, April 21, 2022) for an explanation of how the purportedly “banned” textbooks (“Florida says why it banned these math textbooks” (Washington Post)) could be used in any and every school in Florida. Was this course actually “banned” or was it “banned like the textbooks were banned”? Public schools in Florida are run by counties and if a county wishes to teach a particular class, I don’t think that there is a mechanism for the state to stop it. Palm Beach County Schools, for example, could teach a class on “The Social Justice of Kiteboarding” even if state-level bureaucrats allege that it “lacks educational value”. Here’s the “ban” letter from the Florida DOE, in which the cruel bureaucrats have refused to include the course in a “directory”, not banned counties, which they do not control, from teaching it:

More interesting is a document that is generally absent from media reports of the atrocities committed by Ron DeSantis. It contains excerpts of material in the class and, therefore, a window into what Black Studies scholars in our elite universities are grappling with. Students are taught the importance of “overthrow[ing] capitalism” (Topic 4.31) and also that reparations must be paid (Topic 4.30). For each American who identifies as Black (roughly 50 million says the Census Bureau) to get $5 million (the fair number according to a learned committee in San Francisco), the country needs to scrape up (or print?) $250 trillion, more than 10 years of current GDP. Given that our economy is based on transferism, how is the $250 trillion to be found if capitalism is overthrown? This is the question that the PhDs in Black Studies who put together the AP African American Studies course raise. Who says that high school students aren’t being challenged?

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The mask-loving Israel-hating geniuses at UC Berkeley

by philg

From “At Berkeley Law, a Debate Over Zionism, Free Speech and Campus Ideals” (New York Times, December 21):

a student group created a bylaw that banned supporters of Zionism from speaking at its events. … the bylaw, which eight other student groups also adopted

That a group of people would adopt an anti-Israel and/or anti-Jewish position is not surprising or delightful to me, but the pictures in this article have me weeping with joy:

The cloth masks, the simple surgical masks, the under-nose masks worn outdoors, … all of the best advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci circa spring 2020 on display in 2022 by people who claim that they are the world’s smartest. The only thing that is missing from these photos is a brother, sister, or binary-resister with a full beard for maximum airflow around the sides of a mask.

Related:

  • More Israel hatred…. “US rabbis warn of ‘irreparable harm’ from new Israeli government” (The Hill): More than 300 U.S. rabbis have put their signatures to a letter warning that Israel’s new government under incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could do “irreparable harm” with extremist policies. (the linked-to letter complains about “eroding LGBTQ rights and the rights of women” and is signed by a bunch of folks who would likely be ineligible to serve as Orthodox rabbis: Karen, Esther, Nina, Claudia, Karen, Rachel, Diana, et al.)
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Will Harvard apologize for discriminating based on skin color if this is found unconstitutional?

by philg

The Supreme Court is pondering the fate of Harvard’s race-based admissions system (see It was okay to discriminate against white people, but maybe it is not okay to discriminate against Asians and What is Harvard’s argument for race-based admissions in the #StopAsianHate age?). From the Bad Guys (TM):

Here’s part of an email from the Harvard president, sent on Halloween:

When Harvard assembles a class of undergraduates, it matters that they come from different social, economic, geographical, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. It matters that they come to our campus with varied academic interests and skill sets. Research and lived experience teach us that each student’s learning experience is enriched by encountering classmates who grew up in different circumstances.

Harvard is not alone in believing that we are more than our test scores and that our unique perspectives bring a wealth of educational benefits to a high-quality educational enterprise.

See if we can guess an ethnic group that is less than its members’ test scores…

The legal battle we have waged, which reaches its apex today, is as important to other colleges and universities, and to society, as it is to us. Educators and scholars, civil rights organizers, historians, and education advocates stand with us. Leaders in business and technology stand with us. Former military officers and the heads of the nation’s service academies stand with us. Their voices—ringing out in amicus briefs—are part of a chorus that has risen across our campus and throughout our country in defense of forty years of legal precedent, as well as the history of the 14th Amendment.

Today, individuals of great skill will argue in favor of our cause inside the highest court in the land.

Mediocre individuals were apparently scheduled to argue against Harvard’s Great Cause.

We now await the final decision of the court with earnest anticipation. Whatever it is, we will honor the law while also remaining true to our values.

Translation of “remaining true to our values”: “We will find a workaround so that we can continue discriminating against these Asian nerds without running afoul of the law.”

This academic bureaucrat is proud of the work that he has done for decades in sorting student and faculty applicants by skin color. Suppose, however, that the Supreme Court rules that the sort-by-skin-color policy is unconstitutional. By inference, then, Harvard and its bureaucrats have been depriving applicants of their constitutional rights to be judged by factors other than skin color. The big question for today: Will the president of Harvard and lesser bureaucrats offer an apology?

Speaking of unconstitutionality and appeals, what happened to the Biden administration’s appeal of Judge Kathryn Mizelle’s finding that the CDC’s mask order was unconstitutional? Joe Biden never apologized for violating Americans’ constitutional rights, I don’t think. The appeal was filed in April (heritage.org). In the meantime, it looks as though Joe Biden actually could legally order Americans to #MaskUpSaveLives. The courts seem to agree that this can be done via the TSA if not the CDC. “Supreme Court leaves TSA mask requirement ruling in place” (The Hill, Halloween):

The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a ruling that allows the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to require mask-wearing on planes, trains and other forms of transport.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found no merit in Corbett’s claim and affirmed the TSA did have the agency to maintain security and safety within the transportation system, including imposing the masking requirement.

Biden has the power to keep us safe and secure! But why didn’t he reimpose the airport-and-airline mask order on November 1 after the Supreme Court failed to intervene? Even if most airline passengers are vaccinated we don’t want people gathering unmasked and breeding a vaccine-resistant superbug that will be deadly to the unvaccinated, as happened with Marek’s disease. Even if Democrats can control the entire United States and force everyone to get accept COVID-19 vaccinated there will still be billions of unvaccinated and/or unboosted folks in poor countries who would be vulnerable to the superbug that we created via our policy of widespread vaccination followed by mass gatherings.

Is Joe Biden following the Science, but waiting until after the election to bring the masks back?

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It was okay to discriminate against white people, but maybe it is not okay to discriminate against Asians

by philg

“In cases challenging affirmative action, court will confront wide-ranging arguments on history, diversity, and the role of race in America” (scotusblog.com):

In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled in Grutter v. Bollinger that universities may consider race in their admissions processes as part of their efforts to achieve diversity on campus. On Oct. 31, the justices will hear oral arguments in a pair of cases asking them to overturn Grutter and outlaw race-based affirmative action in higher education altogether.

The challengers urge the justices to rule that the Constitution and federal civil rights laws bar any consideration of race in college admissions. But the universities at the center of the dispute, as well as their supporters, counter that overruling Grutter would have sweeping effects well beyond university admissions, affecting everything from the performance of U.S. businesses to the practice of medicine in an increasingly diverse society.

Both of the lawsuits were filed in federal court in 2014 by a group called Students for Fair Admissions, which describes itself as “dedicated to defending the right to racial equality in college admissions.” The group was created that same year by Edward Blum, a stockbroker and conservative activist who, though not a lawyer, has backed other prominent lawsuits challenging the consideration of race in undergraduate admissions as well as a challenge to the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act. SFFA says it has more than 20,000 members.

The two universities being challenged are Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. But according to Harvard’s brief, over 40% of all U.S. universities — and 60% of selective universities — consider race in some form during their admissions process. The cases being heard on Monday could affect all of them.

“Consider race” = “discriminate by race” and it was legally okay for decades despite a U.S. Constitution that apparently barred such discrimination, at least for the government and its affiliates. I wonder if we can cut through all of the briefs that have been filed in this case. Can the issues be summarized with the following?

  • It is settled law that discriminating against white people is okay and, in fact, something to be proud of.
  • Asians now wear the “people of color” mantle.
  • It is not okay to discriminate against one subgroup within “people of color” in favor of another subgroup within that victimhood category.
  • Universities are not just discriminating against white people (permissible/legal/praiseworthy), but they’re also discriminating against Asians (impermissible/illegal/deplorable).

Who wants to bet on the outcome of these cases?

The current ruler is on the side of the righteous:

The Biden administration, which filed a “friend of the court” brief supporting the universities, pushes back sharply against SFFA’s suggestion that the universities’ consideration of race as one factor in their admissions programs is inconsistent with the court’s decision in Brown. SFFA’s “persistent attempts to equate this case with Brown trivialize the grievous legal and moral wrongs of segregation,” U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar writes.

The Ivy League schools from which the Supreme Court justices graduated are on the side of the righteous and, in fact, are the most eager and aggressive sorters of applicants by skin color.

So if we think of courts as helping the powerful, this one should go in favor of righteousness (continued racial discrimination).

On the other hand, it is tough to think of a way for the justices to write a decision that would allow continued discrimination against whites (the oppressors) while forbidding discrimination against Asians (successfully established in the victimhood category). The previous decision was absurd: “Court expects that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today.” Via this approach to Constitutional law we could say that slavery is permissible right now because we’re in an inflation crisis and high wages are driving up prices, which then drive up wages in a spiral. Since we can’t stop indexing government spending to inflation, the only way to break the spiral is for 25 percent of working-age Americans to be enslaved. “Court expects that 25 years from now, the use of slavery will not longer be necessary to stop the inflation spiral that was launched in 2021.”

Because I am not creative enough to envision how a decision barring discrimination only against Asians could be written, my prediction is that race discrimination by these universities that get taxpayer money will be outlawed.

A Harvard job ad for an astronomy professor requires “Statement describing efforts to encourage diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including past, current, and anticipated future contributions in these areas” and “Demonstrated strong commitment to teaching, advising, and broadening institutional diversity is desired.”

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Too elite to fail at NYU

by philg

Some years ago I spoke with a mathematician who earned a Ph.D. at Florida State University and went on to become a professor at Vanderbilt. “At FSU,” she said, “I taught calculus and about a third of the students didn’t do the homework, didn’t learn any calculus, expected to fail the class, and did fail the class.” No surprise considering the football obsession of FSU! (And when are they going to change the name of the team to something other than “Seminoles”? The only way to show that one is not prejudiced against Native Americans is to erase all references to Native Americans while keeping what used to be their land.)

How was Vanderbilt different? “The students behaved exactly the same as at FSU,” she responded. “About one third of them did nothing and learned nothing. So I failed them.” What happened next? “Every dean at the university descended on my office to explain that Vanderbilt students were not failures and that it was not possible to fail one third of the class, even if they had learned no calculus.”

NYU has an elite price, at least. Let’s check out “At N.Y.U., Students Were Failing Organic Chemistry. Who Was to Blame?” (NYT):

In the field of organic chemistry, Maitland Jones Jr. has a storied reputation. He taught the subject for decades, first at Princeton and then at New York University, and wrote an influential textbook. He received awards for his teaching, as well as recognition as one of N.Y.U.’s coolest professors.

But last spring, as the campus emerged from pandemic restrictions, 82 of his 350 students signed a petition against him.

Students said the high-stakes course — notorious for ending many a dream of medical school — was too hard, blaming Dr. Jones for their poor test scores.

Good news for those who say that an 80-year-old is not sharp enough to be president of the USA:

Dr. Jones, 84, is known for changing the way the subject is taught. In addition to writing the 1,300-page textbook “Organic Chemistry,” now in its fifth edition, he pioneered a new method of instruction that relied less on rote memorization and more on problem solving.

What did the ex-professor notice about kids today?

“Students were misreading exam questions at an astonishing rate,” he wrote in a grievance to the university, protesting his termination. Grades fell even as he reduced the difficulty of his exams.

The problem was exacerbated by the pandemic, he said. “In the last two years, they fell off a cliff,” he wrote. “We now see single digit scores and even zeros.”

After several years of Covid learning loss, the students not only didn’t study, they didn’t seem to know how to study, Dr. Jones said.

MIT and Harvard Medical Students are still amazingly gifted, in my experience, but they definitely did not learn as much during coronapanic. In our ground school class we use the FAA knowledge test to verify mastery of the subject and students who go through the YouTube+Zoom version score about 10 points lower (out of 100) compared to students who sit in a classroom for three days straight.

(Don’t read this as a defense of Professor Jones at NYU and the low grades that he gave on exams. I am against the entire system that prevails in the U.S. under which professors grade their own students. In my view, professors should teach and a neutral evaluator should grade, as is done with the Microsoft and Cisco certifications as well as with the granting of FAA certificates. There is an unavoidable bias when a teacher grades his/her/zir/their own students: “This student appears to have learned nothing, but I am the smartest person in the world and the student sat through my lectures, which means he/she/ze/they must have learned a lot even if the exam does not reflect that. B+”)

Related:

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College grades based on mask compliance

by philg

From a UCLA professor:

Let’s dig in….

  • “300 student mandatory in-person lecture”; why is the mass lecture (“live video”) still a cornerstone for college teaching? It didn’t work well 50 years ago and now the students are scrolling social media on their phones.
  • “I’m the sole care provider for my child.” -> “I expected to get paid a lot more in the California family courts than in the university halls”? (a success story from someone who didn’t need a Ph.D. or any pronouns to make bank)
  • “I’m giving extra credit to those who mask up”; how can this work in a 300-student class? If a student is masked, how does the professor (she/her) identify him/her/zir/them with sufficient particularity to add a note to the grade book?

A comment on the above:

Here’s an interesting one from the other coast… Amherst College’s “Updated policy: Masking in Classrooms”:

Prior to October 17, faculty members will conduct an anonymous survey of their classes, either by collecting handwritten (no names!) responses to the question, “Should masks be required in this class?” or by distributing a survey based on this template. … If anyone in the class, including the instructor, wants to continue with masking, then masks will be required.

We are informed that the hallmark of a stupid person and/or MAGA Trump supporter is doing his/her/zir/their own research. Intelligent Americans follow the Science and defer to expert advice. Amherst College should have a senior Covidcrat interpreting the CDC runes and issuing edicts. Instead, the college is going to let the mob decide! How is that different than Science-denying legislators in Florida voting to forbid public school districts from ordering children to wear masks?

Here’s a good image for university Covidcrats to use:

Screen capture in case the Ministry of Truth deletes this at some point:

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