AN UNEXPECTED TWIST

Yesterday morning, dozens of students flocked to the Office of Career Services (OCS) to file their applications for Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships. But most were greeted with the following request, after painstakingly compiling their application packets: "Please fill out the new fellowships registration card."

Okay, they thought. Not that bad, all we have to do is fill out this card. (Now at the top of the form.) Looks pretty much the same as the one they gave us, except here there's a blank for an e-mail address. Maybe they're entering the information age, maybe this will speed up communications with OCS, Sounds reasonable.

(Further down the form.) Hmm, looks the same except--what's this--they want to know race! Don't they have this sort of information on file already? Suppose it's easier for us to fill it in than for them to look it up. But why? Is race going to play a part in this process? At the University level? At the national level? Hmm.

Maybe they'll just contact us by e-mail if there's a minority fellowship we're eligible for. After all, sex was already on the original form. But it's not as though they've been contacting us about fellowships yet. And you'd think white males would have the sense not to apply for minority or women's fellowships. Oh well, it's just another form. Now we can finally hand this thing in...