doesn’t sound racist

Nothing about this story seems particularly race-based. People of all races are discouraged from obtaining PhDs all the time. Since a PhD is the top of the mountain, many academics would rather others get their MA and leave, unless they see a particular student as fulfilling their definitions of worthiness in every possible way.

Indeed, many white people can tell exactly the same stories that were told in that letter. (The “you don’t need a PhD” line is one of the oldest and most commonly used ones, too.)

As BJ suggests, maybe universities should be more up front about attrition, but even so, a good student would have know those rates before he began.

Larry, at 7:10 am EST on February 6, 2006

Hail to the Victors

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. In reading this piece, the students’ stories really boil down to this basic scenario:

1. The first fellow didn’t follow directions2. The second student didn’t present a compelling argument as to why an exception to the rules should be made for her

Does that mean University of Michigan officials act equity and fairly? Nope. Beaureaucrats often make poor decisions, because they are obsessed with working within the confines of the beaureaucracy.

Prior to graduate school, I lived abroad. I had applied to and been accepted to a graduate program in creative writing. I wrote asking to put off my enrollment for a year, and request was granted. There arose a new pharoah of the MFA program who then promptly rejected my acceptance.

I went up and down the chain of command within the University—from the new Director to the Department Chair to the Dean to the President of the University—and it wasn’t until I wrote to my U.S Senator that the University honored its promise of a spot in the program.

If I didn’t understand the importance of tenacity before that episode, I certainly did afterwards. I learned a very important lesson.

P.D. Lesko Executive EditorAdjunct Advocate

P.D. Lesko, Executive Editor at Adjunct Advocate magazine, at 9:23 am EST on February 6, 2006

why is this a story?

If the facts in this story hold true in further developments, there is little that it says either about UMich or affirmative action (as one commenor has suggested). I.e., its not really news—at least not yet. All it really seems to suggest is that a single graduate student at Michigan feels that he need not follow any institutional rules or procedures. That certainly isn’t news, and its a very old story as stories go. That the accuser was able to find another friend or two to back up his story with vague accusations of their own is also nothing new or newsworthy.

It’s also not news that news outlets publish so-far-unsubstantiated accusations, but I think this IS worth considering. How appropriate is it for people to report accusations before they are substantiated, when they will clearly cause harm even if they are later proven false or misleading? It is important to remember that even if it is proven that UMich dealt fraudulently with the accuser and his friends, it doesn’t prove what the focus of the story is, that there may be racism in the UMich graduate school, unless some pattern can be established.

One last comment: To suggest, as one commenter already has, that this story says anything about affirmative action is to prove the need for affirmative action.

ex-prof, at 9:45 am EST on February 6, 2006

I Have Taught At That University

I’ll skip over the procedural anomalies and the manner in which University of Michigan president, Mary Sue Coleman, responded to the students’ allegations ... and try to present a concise summary.

Let’s see, (1) the University of Michigan actively recruits and accepts many Black students into graduate programs and (2) at some point in their graduate careers, “the University of Michigan” encourages at least some of said students to take a master’s degree and either forget about going on for the Ph.D or perhaps pursue the Ph. D elsewhere.

I will assume both statements are correct. How are we to interpret this?

1. The University admits Black students who are only marginally qualified to complete a Ph.D.

2. The University admits highly qualified Black students who, because of its deficient culture for learning, are not able to succeed at levels that would inspire the “University” to recommend that they continue in their programs beyond the master’s degree.

3. The “University of Michigan” is a racially biased organization at which it is next to impossible for Black students to succeed.

4. Some (perhaps all) of the above.

I endorse the time-honored tradition of evaluating students at the end of, say, the first two years of their programs, encouraging those who do well to go on for the Ph.D., and giving master’s degrees to those for whom success at the Ph.D. level is unlikely. I do not endorse the time honored tradition of being gentle with those who, at an early stage of the game, are thought to have a low probability of success at the Ph.D. level. And to base those decisions primarily on grades in classes is just silly. I was on the faculty of a mathematics department some years ago where more than a few almost-straight-A students failed to pass the qualifying exams to complete the Ph.D. program.

So, University of Michigan ...

1. Continue your aggressive recruitment and admission of Black students.

2. Make sure your Ph.D. programs’ cultures for learning are close to optimal for the “special needs” of perhaps many of your minority (Black) students.

3. Test Ph.D. students as early in the process as is practical – and don’t think for a minute that there is a high correlation between grades in classes and what your students should know in order to make completion of the Ph.D. a high probability event.

4. Beat faculty over the head with a stick until such time there is almost a perfect correlation between what students know (their grades on qualifying exams) and what grades they receive in classes.

5. Make every aspect of the process as formal and transparent as possible.

Oh, by the way, the answer to my question is 1 (20% of the time), 2 (40% of the time), and 3 (less than 5% of the time).

RWH, at 11:42 am EST on February 6, 2006

Par for the course

I read nothing in the comments that indicated anytihng out of the norm for universitites and students. Admissions offices and graduate schools determine as best the can the quality of candidates for admission. Sometimes they provide a lot of money to support these students. But it is only when as student has arrived and has shown how s/he can do in that field of studies that the university knows the quality of the student in that environment. Would universities like every scholarship student to graduate with the degree in the program in which they were accepted? Of course — no one plans to throw money away. Are admissions offices and graduate schools 100 per cent accurate in prognosticating what students will make it? No. Students don’t make it for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it has to do with academics, or what is happening in one’s life, or a fit within the department or a variety of complex issues.

It is unfortunate that any student thinks that application for a program for the next degree level is optional.

Doctoral programs are in a difficult position. In the 1980’s, a doctoral student on the west coast hadn’t been terminated in his program apparently because no one wanted to say the final “no.” After over a decade of mediocre performance in the program, he wakled into his lead advisor’s office and murdered him. So whether the school tries to ease someone out who isn’t making it or lets them continue on, the onus falls on the school. A Ph.D. is the top of the field. There is a lot of weeding out along the way. That is good for the professions. It is hard to recognize that you may not have what it takes to get a Ph.D., but all of us who entered graduate school know that not every admission graduates; there are no guarantees that any promising candiate will achieve the honor of a terminal degree. That is even more the case at the largest and most rigorous universities in the country.

Bob, at 12:23 pm EST on February 6, 2006

Not Held Back, But Not Always Supported

I hold a doctorate from U of M. For those in my class (more than ten years ago, though when I read this story I felt like it was yesterday), the rules weren’t always clear nor were they always the same for all people. There were clearly professors who had misconceptions about students of color and there were clearly professors who thought that some of us did not meet U of M standards. There were also professors who clearly believed that most of us could succeed (some can not), helped clarify the process and did what they could when they could to help us move along. Getting a doctorate is not easy for anyone, nor should it be. Should all people be treated equally? Yes. Should some professors be held to the fire? Yes. Should all students be held to process (equal treatment)? Yes. Did this happen when I was a student? No. Is it happening now? Seems an investigation will happen. I agree that this story is not yet news, but the student deserves attention. The student clearly needs mentorship at higher levels. And the University clearly needs to continue in its efforts to recruit top students, retain its diverse student body, and keep track of under-the-table steals and deals that make the educational process more difficult than it needs to be. U of M is taking the hard road of maintaining diversity on the legal front and will have to do some hard work internally because not everyone who works at the institution or who attends it is in agreement with their policies. Of course, the world outside of U of M is a much more difficult place to manuever, so take what is happening now and learn from it like you do a text book because it will surely help later. Racist people still exist and these things will continue to happen.

Not Held Back, PhD, at 3:40 pm EST on February 6, 2006

I resent RWH’s comments, particularly item #2. How dare she state that minorities have “special needs". What planet are you on? That statement implies that minorities are not capable of comprehending at the level of other non-minority students, a statement that is representative of racism in itself. I am a minority student that scored ahead of my class (even white students — imagine that) by my own merits — i.e., studying. This occurred on many occasions. I would argue that minorities have to surpass many challenges, including racism, lack of resources and the preconceived notion that they are ignorant and incapable of learning in comparison to their white counterparts. Any minority who is able to excel to the PHD level despite these obstacles deserves credit for the tenacity to do so and for their obvious level of intelligence. For those minorities who are reading this, ignore the stereotypes, believe that you are intelligent and continue to pursue your dreams, despite the fact that the world will tell you that you aren’t capable — because you ARE.

R.B. in Michigan, MBA, at 6:40 pm EST on February 11, 2006