In reading yesterday's "Not by the numbers" editorial, I felt that there was an implied notion that because certain organizations have made a targeted effort to recruit minority students, the quality is somehow compromised. For the past two years, the University Judiciary Committee has made a dedicated effort in its outreach to minority communities because the application rates in the past had not been representative of the entire University. This does not mean that they have been accepting students who are not qualified, as this would be an unfair judgment on both the UJC and on the abilities and talents of minority applicants.
I agree, completely, that reaching racial parity should not be the end goal, but the means to an end. It is important to reach racial parity statistically, but it is equally important to have minority representation at the operational and theoretical levels of such university-wide organizations at U.Va. The Minority Rights Coalition will be undergoing a research effort in the coming weeks to assess the questions that arise with regards to student sentiments and perceptions of various organizations, first-year engagement, and as the article put it, "diversity in the higher echelons of management."\nI firmly believe that this is a positive step and can and should be the beginning of more conversations concerning minority engagement.
Heba K. Tellawi\nChair, Minority Rights Coalition
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