TOW #3- Harvard Accused of Bias Against Asian-Americans

Harvard Accused of Bias Against Asian-Americans is an article written by Douglas Belkin. Belkin is a writer for The Wall Street Journal, the largest newspaper in the United States by circulation, who covers high education and national news. This article focuses around a recent complaint which was filed by a coalition of 64 organizations against Harvard University for discrimination against Asian-Americans applying to the school. Belkin does not make an argument in this article, instead, he uses it as a summation of the dispute between Harvard and those accusing the university. In a day and age when getting into Harvard seems nearly like winning the lottery and "longtime stereotypes of Asian applicants’ being 'not creative enough or risk-taking enough'" exist, he attempts to clearly depict to high school college applicants, parents, and anyone interested in applying to Harvard, the argument of both sides in this battle. Appealing to logos and also representing the points of the accusers, Belkin discusses Cal Tech's record for undergraduate Asian Americans standing at around 40% while Harvard's remains at about 21%. Belkin explains that this was a point presented by the former of the coalition which helps the reader see this isn't his own personal opinion, just the facts. He also appeals to logos when he reveals the coalition's citing of third-party academic research of the SAT exam. This research proved that Asian Americans generally have to score much higher than other races in order to gain acceptance into Harvard University. To keep a fair account of the events going, Belkin then discusses Harvard's point of view as a general council for the school has confirmed that their selection process is well within the perimeters of the law. He reports their claims that they take into account more than just grades and scores, but they also consider extracurricular activities and leadership abilities. The way he formats the article as if it is a back and forth argument without any bias on his behalf allows the reader to decide for themselves what they believe in this situation. The use of facts and quotes from both sides, helps Belkin support his purpose, however, he ends up providing much more information from the accusing side which makes Harvard's defense weak. Because he does not present enough information from Harvard's perspective, his audience is almost left to believer that either the coalition must be right, or Belkin in bias. For this reason, I feel like he accomplished his purpose, but not in the most effective may.