Question about ethnicity

[tokenadult]

<p>Allow me to repeat myself: colleges ask for race self-identification in a question they distribute to students. They don’t guess about it. Here’s an example, from [post</a> #5 of the FAQ thread](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012043-post5.html]post”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012043-post5.html) of how little colleges are supposed to assume if an applicant doesn’t self-identify with a race: </p>

<p>From the Association for Institutional Research FAQ: </p>

<p>[FAQ</a> Race/Ethnicity Topics](<a href=“http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=1502]FAQ”>http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=1502) </p>

<p>

@Association for Institutional Research

Q: Can I require students/employees to complete the race/ethnicity questions?
A: No. You may only ask.</p>

<p>Q: How do I know if a student or employee refused to answer the questions or just overlooked them?
A: You don’t.</p>

<p>Q: What is the level of effort needed to collect the new information?
A: Presenting the data collection form to students/employees is sufficient to ensure that individuals have had an opportunity to respond. Postsecondary institutions can report unknown when the respondent doesn’t reply—there is no need to use third-party observation to supply race/ethnicity.

</p>