Penn Law Professor Says Black Students ‘Rarely’ in Top Half of Class, Is Disciplined

Truth is no longer the standard in this world. At least in the world of academics. Professor Amy Wax discovered this harsh reality – though she probably already knew it — when she made a statement about race and achievement at the University of Pennsylvania’s law school. She said she had “rarely, rarely” witnessed a black student finish in the top half of their class.

Understandably, students were upset over Wax’s statement, which the school refutes. Penn Law Dean Theodore Ruger said that the tenured prof spoke “disparagingly and inaccurately” and needed to be removed from some of her duties. Though she hasn’t been fired — she’ll continue to teach electives — she no longer can teach first-year curriculum courses.

Here’s the thing. If Wax mischaracterized minority students at Penn Law, she needs to face the consequences. But what is the truth of the matter? Are class rankings public? What about the top ten? Top quartile? I’m not sure, with federal regulations, how easy it would be to determine the race and ethnicity of students. Regardless, this is information the school could determine. Perhaps even information the Washington Post could determine. Wax says she hasn’t done a formal analysis of the numbers (which would be based on data to which she doesn’t have access), but she’s seen her own classes over the years. She even went further to say that the administration at Penn hold this data as a “closely guarded secret.” In an interview with the Daily Pennsylvanian, said “student performance is a matter of fact, not opinion. It is what it is.”

So, the question remains: how do black students perform at Penn Law?

Sometimes, when facts are uncomfortable, you get a strong, knee-jerk reaction of indignation. A better course of action would be to figure out the truth of the matter, then adjust the system to allow for better performance.

I don’t know anything about the demographic makeup of the students at Penn Law. But I’m sick and tired of the constant identity politics that institutions of higher learning force down everyone’s throat. If Wax is right, then the school needs to acknowledge and address the achievement disparity in a real way. It’s not kind to pass minority students through the admissions process only to let them flounder once they’re in classes.

But the main goal of identity politics is not actual success, is it? The main goal is virtue signaling. The diversity they seek is mere window dressing. Kudos to Wax for being courageous enough to bring up a topic that Penn Law would be wise to actually address.

Watch the interview that caused the outcry below: