Note from BW of Brazil: One of the results, perhaps expected, of the consequences of Brazil’s experiment of the racial quotas system to increase the presence of black students in the nation’s finest universities has been the phenomenon of white students declaring themselves black to take advantage of the system. I say perhaps expected because the debate over the quotas system has never subsided. Many whites continue to reject the validity of the system arguing that it undermines the system of merit while black students insist it is a historic reparation owed to the black population. Black students have also continuously shown with test scores that quota students perform as well or better than non-quota students.
I also say perhaps expected because white Brazilians have long argued against the validity of racial quotas since, as they argue, all Brazilians have some degree of mixed ancestry. I have always found this sort of strategy as laughable for two main reasons. 1) Many of these same people have considered themselves white all of their lives regardless of some distant great-grandfather/mother who was black. And 2) If Brazilians see the idea of the “one-drop” of black blood rule made infamous in the United States, why do these same people appeal to the usage of such an idea now? Anyway, below is the latest case of Brazilians who suddenly see themselves as black….I would really LOVE to see photos of these people!
White students expelled from federal university after committing fraud in quota system
by Giorgia Cavicchioli
The rector of UFPel (Federal University of Pelotas) (in state of Rio Grande do Sul) decided to cancel the enrollments of the 24 people of the medical course. A denouncement was published by Ponte Jornalismo on December 9 of last year
White students who cheated the quota system for blacks and Indians to enter the UFPel medical course in Rio Grande do Sul were expelled from the institution. The decision was confirmed on Friday, December 30th. The rectory decided to cancel the enrollment and expel, in all, 24 people. A note published on the university’s own website says that the resolution was “due to non-recognition of the condition of cotistas (quota students)”.
Students who cheated the system, who have had their resources denied, have already been notified of the cancellation. The medical school has also been notified of the expulsions. In order to fill vacancies, the university’s rectory decided that it will open a call for proposals in the beginning of 2017 for the transfer of cotistas from the second to the seventh semester (periods in which students lost their places).
The investigations into the frauds happened thanks to the denunciation made by Setorial de Negros e Negras da UFPel (Sector of Black Men and Women of UFPel). Subsequently, a self-declaration of ethnicity assessment commission was set up to confer and give an opinion on its truthfulness. The evaluations followed guidelines of the MPF (Federal Public Ministry), which highlighted the phenotypic criteria (observable physical characteristics).
A commission made up of professors, servants and members of the Movimento Negro analyzed each student’s racial self-declaration and came to a conclusion at the end of the week.
“It was a very well documented denunciation, with images of people. In general there is a fenótipo marcadamente branco (markedly white phenotype),” explained commissioner Rogério Gonçalves.
According to the President of the Conselho da Comunidade Negra (Council of the Black Community) of Pelotas, Fábio Gonçalves, “Whoever declares himself that which he is not is committing a crime. And from this, from this perception, cannot take advantage of a public policy of reparation as important as the policy of quotas.”
A black student of the institution commented on the decision and said that the investigations now need to “go to the other courses” of UFPel. According to Professor Georgina Helena, head of the nucleus of affirmative action and diversity, the decision shows that “UFPel advances in the process of democratizing the university in terms of diversity”.
“These are not ‘vacancies’. It is a project of a university and society that controls the hegemony of those who insist on the maintenance of individual privileges.”
According to the professor, in denouncing the fraud, the quota students are placed as subjects of control and demand so that “justice reestablishes itself in the face of these ‘shocks’ to acquired rights.” She states that UFPel was meticulous, strict and respectful in dealing with the data taken by the complainants and those denounced.
Source: Ponte Jornalismo, Política Aplicada
Oh you know they’re going to blame the blacks now for their lives being “ruined” over the expulsion. I’m glad they got kicked out, I guess they thought being white would save them from the real life consequences of their piss poor attempt to commit fraud.