<p>i love this discussion 
first, lets address the insinuation of âim being treated unfairlyââŠguess what, i might be getting some extra points!
i think its doing the system an injustice by using semantics and trying to paint this as fair in an effort to make everyone feel good.</p>
<p>By Greg Bruno
Times Herald-Record
April 19, 2007
West Point  Struggling to attract black candidates, the U.S. Military Academy is rethinking admission requirements for minorities.</p>
<p>The nationâs oldest service academy has not settled on a plan to revamp entrance criteria, and says any shift would not represent reduced academic standards.</p>
<p>But as the percentage of black cadets at the historic officer training school hovers well below national and Army averages, the schoolâs top officers say something needs to change to expand the pool of black applicants.</p>
<p>âThere may be African-Americans out there with lower standardized test scores who would perform very well at West Point,â said Col. Andre Sayles, director of the military academyâs newly created diversity office.</p>
<p>Another high-ranking official, who was granted anonymity because his remarks were made during a background briefing last week, said West Point should accept minority candidates with âlower SATs.â</p>
<p>âThis academy needs to bring in more kids who are at risk than ever before,â the senior Army officer said, using the admissions term for candidates with lower-than-average test scores.</p>
<p>âOur âat riskâ kids, very frankly, tend to come from the minority communities.â</p>
<p>The nationâs top service academies have all reported difficulties attracting minority talent in recent years. Black candidates have been especially hard to lure. Of 1,311 freshmen who entered the military academy last year, 78 were black, or about 6 percent. Overall, 6 percent of West Point cadets are black, versus 22 percent of the active Army and 12.5 percent of the country.</p>
<p>Numbers for next year donât look any better. Of the 1,036 confirmed freshman for the class reporting in June, only 4 percent are black, though the final ratio could be slightly higher.</p>
<p>Academy officials say increasing the diversity of the cadet corps, and ultimately, mirroring the nationâs racial profile, is vital for the long-term stability of the Army.</p>
<p>To that end, West Point has taken measures to push numbers up by expanding recruiting efforts and with the creation of the new diversity office. But attracting minority candidates, particularly blacks, remains a significant challenge.</p>
<p>Lt. Col. Deborah McDonald, West Pointâs deputy director of admissions, told a Maryland newspaper in March that of the 177,000 black high school seniors who took the SAT in 2005, only 6 percent scored high enough to get into West Point.</p>
<p>The average score for students in the Class of 2010 was 1277. McDonald said in 2005, only 10,500 black students nationwide came anywhere close to that.</p>
<p>So, in addition to trying to lure top-scoring blacks into West Point, military academy officials are pondering ways to revamp entrance criteria  including considering more candidates with lower test scores.</p>
<p>Lt. Col. Kent P. Cassella, a West Point spokesman, said test scores would remain part of the equation. But other factors, like community involvement, class rank and athletics, could play a larger role.</p>
<p>âWe really look at the total person, still using tests as an indicator but not the sole indicator of admission,â Cassella said.</p>
<p>Added the senior Academy official: âThere are intangibles you canât measure. One is the heart of a kid.â</p>
<p>Few disagree. But how to get there is a matter of much debate. âItâs not the way to go. I take issue with that,â said retired National Guard Brig. Gen. Gilbert Baca, who served on West Pointâs oversight board during President Bushâs first term and examined minority recruiting trends.</p>
<p>âWhat they are saying is that they donât have enough recruits because SAT sores are low. It has nothing to do with numbers. It has everything to do with active recruiting.â</p>
<p>But Academy officials say theyâve done what they can with current candidate requirements. Perhaps itâs time to rethink the formula.</p>
<p>âDo we have to do a little extra to give them tutors,â the senior Academy official said during the briefing last week. âOf course we do. But so what? Iâm willing to bring in more âat-riskâ kidsâ than ever before.</p>