The meaning of minority

Today, one of the most frequently uttered but ambiguous terms is "minority." Who or what exactly does a minority include? Does the term refer exclusively to African Americans? Does it involve all people of color? A minority is basically an under-represented group which, whether by number or characteristic, is set apart from a majority.\nBut the word minority, as we know it today, does not follow that definition. For example, we rarely label homosexuals, Jews or disabled people as minorities, yet they are under-represented in our culture. Today, the term minority most accurately means black, African American or Hispanic. \nBecause of this definition, one must then assume that minority signifies a person who has been oppressed or discriminated against. The term is much more understandable with this reasoning, but why do we still not refer to other oppressed groups as minorities? There's no doubt that blacks represent the most oppressed group in our society, but it's a pretty close call between Asians and Latinos and the daily racism they experience. \nOne look at college admissions procedures across the country reveals this discrepancy in the use of the term minority. Often colleges will go above and beyond to make their schools available to minorities that are, in actuality, "selected" minorities. Very rarely, for example, will you find schools tirelessly trying to entice Asians. Schools feel no need to recruit Asians because, academically, Asians regularly represent the highest achieving ethnic group in our country. In other words, why try to recruit and help people who don't have trouble getting in to college?\nMost minority recruiters in college admissions offices focus on making college a possibility solely for blacks and Hispanics. Even if these groups are "selected" for their socio-economic status, aren't colleges forgetting other groups? \nWhatever the methodology, their policies are racially discriminatory. The assumption of these admissions offices is that blacks and Hispanics are underachievers and they need to be helped into the college life. This is no big secret. I first learned of the reality of this racism when I was visiting IU for the first time. I was handed a sheet from the admissions office that made me aware of the scholarship opportunities available to IU students. Two scholarship opportunities immediately caught my eye: one through the Honors College and the other through the Minority Achievers Program (MAP). What really shocked me were the requirements for the scholarships. Not much has changed since then.\nTo receive the Honors College scholarship as an entering freshman, you must have an SAT score of 1300 and have ranked in the top 10 percent of your high school graduating class. For MAP (which is exclusively for African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans) you need an SAT score of 1000 and must have ranked in the top 20 percent of your senior class. \nWhy the discrepancy in numbers? Why are the targeted students of MAP portrayed as not being able to measure up to the other students who go through the Honors College? \nAt a recent discussion about race, I heard a black woman say how offended she was that admissions requirements were less for her than for her colleagues of other races. She felt as if she couldn't prove she was on the same intellectual level. Making college financially feasible is one thing, but demeaning a person's intellectual integrity is uncalled for. I doubt that universities deliberately intend to offend "minorities" in their admissions process, but their discriminatory rationale cannot be masked by benevolence.