Idaho College Students are Lying to Get an Increase in Student Aid

An Idaho college student told me that he and many of his friends claim to be minorities when they apply for college aid.  He claims they get more money by masquerading as indigenous or Hispanic people.  I imagine it could also pay off with admissions.  It’s not like anyone is required to pass a DNA test!

Is it possible for a Caucasian to pass himself off as a minority?  First, define minority, right?  We could use the words persons of color but it’s not always indicative of your ancestry.  The news media called George Zimmerman a white Latino.  His mother was Hispanic.  The same goes for baseball legend Ted Williams.  He championed the cause of minority ballplayers but never used ancestry for an advantage.  His talent spoke for the man.

We're Enshrining Lying Across the Culture

When I worked as a television news director, I was required to file frequent reports and list the minorities working in my newsroom.  I wasn’t allowed to ask anyone about their ethnicity, mind you, but I was supposed to come up with a number.  I made the mistake at a meeting with a corporate official of pointing out this was ridiculous.  She glared at me and then just told me to do it by sight.  In other words, guess.

My boss later told me I needed to be a better team player.  In other words, play the game.  Some people call it lying.

If Everyone Identifies as a Minority, Then Nobody is a Minority

If an employer or a college can’t ask for evidence you truly are a minority, then what’s to stop all students from making the claims?  We joke about young people being slow on the uptake.  However, put some money down and they’ll catch on and fast.

If we simply treated everyone equally, we wouldn't be rewarding lies.