Today's Con Law Class

Okay boys and girls,

No running diary today. There's not going to be anything to chronicle as there is going to be an in class activity that is going to take up most of the period. As a public service, here are my notes on the class readings. They're not great, but they'll get you through in a pinch. I realize this doesn't have the humor value that everyone wants, but I promise I will come up with something peppered with cynicism, dry wit, and tons of irony later in the week to make up for it.

Amicus Brief

Fortune 500 Brief-

The fortune 500 company files an amicus brief as one affected by the decision. It recruits from Michigan and does substantial business there. The brief supports diversity because diversity in higher education helps the company to hire a diverse workforce and maintain its own commitment to diversity.

Amici believes that all of a students attributes should be considered for admission to university. In order to succeed in a diverse workplace it is important for students to be exposed to diversity in an educational setting. It helps them to become better workers and therefore helps the company.

The pursuit of diversity in higher education is a compelling state interest because it prepares students to succeed in a global community.

The Frontline website

There is a Gap between white students and Minority students on the SAT. The Gap is hard to explain. There is no real correlation between the Gap in the income of students’ parents and the students performance on the SAT. It is possible that part of the Gap comes from the fact that Students’ parents faced discrimination and as such, were not able to have the resources that their white counterparts had. These disadvantages are reflected in the education of their children.

It’s also possible that the scores are explained by a “stereotype threat.” Minority students who feel that they are part of a negatively stereotyped group tend to perform worse on academic tests.

There was a brief narrowing of the Gap in the late 70’s but then it widened again. Some feel that school desegregation, reduced class size, and more rigorous coursework contributed to the decline in the Gap, but they are at a loss to explain why it began to widen again.

Article ends by saying if we could close the Gap and have comparable test scores, we wouldn’t need affirmative action.

Did they get in?

You were supposed to do the "did they get in" activity. It’s basically worthless and you should skip it. It has literally, nothing to do with anything you will ever use in life or the bar. Just know that colleges look for well rounded people.

If she wanted us to do any of the other stuff on the website, well then, she can go to hell. It’s not worth your time and you are far better off faking your way through it.

My journal entry for this activity.

Prof. Lazos- I’ve come into contact with the issue of college admission before. It’s my belief that the notion of a “well rounded student” is mostly nonsense. If I were on an admissions committee, I would look at the classes a person took and the grades they got in them. I don’t care about anyone’s extra curricular activities, I believe the SAT’s are a crock, and I personally believe that most student essay’s are a pack of lies that tell you nothing you would ever really want to know. Your question asks me to pick who I’d recommend for admission, so I’m going to recommend based on grades and classes.

Candidate 1:

This person had some advanced classes and did well overall. I’d recommend.

Candidate 2:

This person also had advanced classes, but can’t do math to save their life. Still, the bad grades in math do come in some pretty advanced courses, so that is commendable. I’d put the person on the waiting list.

Candidate 3:

This person did well, but their sophomore schedule was a joke. They did well in some AP classes later, but I think we can do better. Wait list, towards the bottom.

Candidate 4:

This student has more B’s than a hive. He should enjoy community college.

Candidate 5:

Average student at best. Go to community college, improve your grades, transfer.