It's another form of affirmative action, just like they have to be given extra points on Civil Service tests.
I went to grammar school and high school with both blacks and hispanic kids. I had a black female teacher in 4th grade. She had to pass the same college courses as everyone else to get the job. Nobody got special treatment back then. Everybody was treated equally, and everybody performed highly. In fact, there were a hell of a lot more blacks in the Honor Society than there were whites back in the 60's at the Rochester, NY highschool I went to. The educational system has failed our children horribly. Makes me glad I don't have any grandchildren, so I won't have to watch them be turned into morons.
Know what you mean. I have worked with blacks and hispanics that are among the sharpest people I have ever met. The Regents are doing folks a great disservice. They reinforce a negative stereotype by insisting on placing people in positions they are not ready for. So sad because it will hurt those people in the long run. Plus the problems it causes the kids. What a mess New York has become.