Prodigy, 13, claims age discrimination by UConn

[bananas]

Source: AP

Even at 13, Colin Carlson believes he's running out of time.

Colin is a sophomore at the University of Connecticut, seeking a bachelor's degree in ecology and evolutionary biology and another in environmental studies. But he's been knocked off course by the university's rejection of his request to take a class that includes summer field work in South Africa.

He and his mother say university officials told them he is too young for the overseas course. So he's filed an age discrimination claim with the university and U.S. Department of Education, which is investigating.

"I'm losing time in my four-year plan for college," he said. "They're upsetting the framework of one of my majors."

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Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gq_hA1zEAEFdo4fv_fFxxJguYhrwD9ELS0D80

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Good article, worth reading.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Oh fer fuck's sake kid. Just go to MIT; they'll completely support your interests.

[scheming daemons]

2. If he could make a jump shot, UConn would support him

...

[Jennicut]

16. Heh, I went to Central CT State U. That was a running joke about UConn for years.

Also, it was known as having a more rowdy atmosphere. Want a good party? Head out to Storrs.

[KamaAina]

38. That would be gender discrimination

because at UConn, only women can make jump shots. :eyes:

[leftofcool]

3. Out of time at 13? Good Grief!

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bananas]

6. You trying to set him up with a date?

[Mz Pip]

5. Well, he's learning

about lawsuits, for whatever that's worth. :eyes:

[Ms. Toad]

7. He may learn more than he bargained for

at least on the Federal level, age discrimination only protects those over 40.

[Duchess]

8. If he' so smart

maybe he should have seen this coming or had enough flexibility in his plan to adjust. I guess there is no replacement for experience. Good luck, kid.

[DeSwiss]

9. +1

to DU

[Oregone]

15. If he's so smart

What the hell is he doing spending all his time in school at age 13.


:)


The kid probably has a brilliant mind, but when other parts of his brain catch up, then hell want to go smoke a J and get laid on the beach. If he can't pull his head outta the books by then, itll be too late for him and all for naught.

[Javaman]

20. Yeah, because all students know exactly everything about school policy

when they are up to their armpits in school work.

:eyes:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. Oh geez, he may only be able to finish college at the advance age of 18?

Cry me a river.

If he limited himself to say "I have as much right to this class as any other student" I would have more sympathy.

[struggle4progress]

11. Lots of organizations impose lower bounds on ages of event participants.

Such limits are not always unreasonable. There may be some significant maturity differences between a thirteen year old and a fifteen or sixteen year old, or between a fifteen year old and an eighteen year old, or between an eighteen year old and a twenty one year old. We generally don't let thirteen year olds drive or sixteen year olds vote or eighteen year olds buy alcohol

[DeSwiss]

12. K&R

- Smart kid.....

[tigereye]

13. maybe his mom or guardian could go with him... if they admit students that

young, maybe they should accommodate him...

[Raineyb]

14. He should have seen that coming. No college wants to be responsible for a minor

overseas. Losing time? I think he can manage a perfectly fine life graduating a bit later.

[ecstatic]

17. Maybe with a chaperone. He's smart but extremely immature

and I'm betting he has poor judgment too. It's not ageist, just reality. I was very smart (and I thought I was very mature) at 13 but I made a ton of bad decisions. He will need some sort of guardian, especially in a foreign country.

[Canuckistanian]

18. OMG, he might have to wait until he's (gasp) 18 to graduate

Oh, the huge manatee.

[Tailormyst]

19. I agree with the school

He is too young.

[Javaman]

21. I find some of the jealous remarks on this thread regarding this kid

very revealing.

Christ, he's 13 and damn fucking smart, he wants to finish his education and get on with his life, but some here find it amusing to cut the kid down.

We accuse the repukes of dumbing down education, trying to privatize public education, destroying the pell grant, and doing everything they can to destroy our kids future education, yet YET, here on DU, people are busting on this incredibly smart kid for what? Because he wants to finish his college degree and he also happens to be 13?

WHAT THE FUCK?

[NotThisTime]

22. I agree, I wasn't 13 but I wasn't much older when I started college and YES I had a 4 year plan for

it, what the hell is wrong with you people putting this incredibly smart kid down?

Because he has goals and expectations for himself you put him down? Shame on any of you with this primitive notion. We should all be able to accomplish our dreams as we see fit.

[rbixby]

28. I think its more about liability than anything else

Who wants to be responsible for a 13 year old child in a foreign country, and one with as much upheaval as South Africa. I understand that he's a bright kid and wants to do what he wants to do, but what parent would send their 13 year old 5000 miles away with very little supervision?

[Javaman]

35. wow, just wow.

you make an awful lot of assertions there, with, huh, no evidence.

Liability falls on the universities shoulders regardless of age.

Whether the person is 13, 18, 45 or 90. The university is still responsible regardless of age. Liability has nothing to do with it.

I have had several friend in various overseas studies while in high school and in each case they had to live with a registered family associated with an accredited institution.

It's a none issue and the university is just being jerks.

[NotThisTime]

56. First of all I'm looking at overseas trips through school for my kids, I don't have to go, however

My Husband will be accompanying my daughter for a ten day trip as she is 12. Yes, the child's parent could go, however, the Institution accepted him based on his merits and now they need to stand by that acceptance.

Believe it or not there are a number of children in this age group who could go to college and have the SAT scores to prove it. My son was accepted when he was 13, however we have found a private school that can continue to move him up in his academics. Had we not had the option and the money he would be enrolled in college. Yes, he is that smart and yes he is that well adjusted, just as I was just when I was his age. Now it's up to the Institution that accepted him to treat him like any other student. Just like I was treated like every other student when I was in my mid teen years.

[Javaman]

58. A giant congratulations to your child. :)

Cheers!

[EFerrari]

23. Bizarre. n/t

[uncle ray]

26. what are they supposed to do, allow a 13 year old to be an adult for legal purposes?

do we allow him to drive, drink, be eligible for the draft? do we exempt him from statutory rape laws? when he has worn himself out by 30 and is ready to retire, do we give him social security benefits because he's really smart and thus more deserving than the rest of us?

if he was so brilliant he would realize there is bad with the good of being an adult, you can't cherry pick which adult rights you get because you are a genius. if we change the rules for every smart kid who has an ambitious life plan, we'd live in a nation of anarchy.

[Posteritatis]

27. Way to dispute a bunch of assertions nobody's making. (nt)

[Javaman]

32. stay classy. nt

[WolverineDG]

29. Sorry, but 13 is a bit young for the activity he wants to do

if he was 16 or 17, I would think he should be allowed, with a parent accompanying him. But I don't think the school should have to be responsible for a 13 year old in a foreign country. They have their hands full with the students over 18.

dg

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[riderinthestorm]

31. I don't see anyone criticizing his intelligence, they're criticizing the fact that

he's suing the school for something as ridiculous as age discrimination. He is a child. Going to Africa at 13 alone wouldn't be sensible for any child, but this obvious fact eludes his very smart brain. It's the intersection of adult-level experience vs. a child with a phenomenal intelligence, and the route this kid chose to take in trying to confront the system that's provoking commentary but I don't see them as "jealous".

[Javaman]

34. truly, amazing. nt

[slampoet]

24. If the kid had a real education they'd know age discrimination is legal against those under 40yrs.

[Javaman]

37. Yeah, why bring up the possibility that it could also work in reverse

because setting precedent is so ridiculous.

[The2ndWheel]

25. Learn to live with some disappointment now and then

Or don't. Whatever. Either way.

[walldude]

30. If something happened to the kid in South Africa

the parents would be suing the school and asking why they let a 13 year old go to a place where he might not be mature enough to handle himself.

[Javaman]

36. You mean like if something happens to like an 18 year old?

because we all know that no one has anymore rights once they become adults.

:eyes:

[SoxFan]

39. Jeezus, kid, calm down

You're 4 year plan? What, the world will end if you don't have a sheepskin before puberty runs its course?

Chill. Go see Green Day. Play some basketball. Watch "Family Guy". Most of all, stop taking life and yourself so damn seriously.

I didn't finish my bachelor's degree until I was 29. In the meantime, I did some interesting things, made some dumb mistakes, and learned a hell of a lot more than I would have grinding in a classroom.

[blueamy66]

41. Exactly.

This kid is missing out on sooo much stuff.

[Javaman]

43. I bet you dollars to donuts, that kid doesn't care.

I have two cousins that are off the chart genius's just like this kid.

I can bet you anything that this kid thinks we are missing out.

My one cousin, graduated with a phd in physics when she was 19. Her brother a phd in micro biology at 20.

They are very happy, have children of their own and never once felt like they have missed out on anything, I know this because I asked them.

My cousin said, and I quote, "I would never want to do it any different, I loved it".

You are expecting this kid to be of normal or average intelligence and to experience the things we consider fun. To someone of this kids IQ, I can bet you, what we consider fun, he considers a complete waste of time.

[SoxFan]

45. Oh, right, we stupid people can't grasp junior's inner torment

Give me a fucking break.

I guess I'm just too dense to understand what your family full of geniuses go through.

By the way, my SAT verbal score was in the top 2%, and other intelligence tests have me in the upper echelons. Being "smart" is more than this. If your cousins are happy with their lives, fine. I just have a hunch that a lot of these people who stress over credentials, timetables, and hyperachievement eventually find themselves burnt out at a relatively young age.

Frankly, if I could do things over, I'd probably be even less of a nerd. Maybe I'd have joined the Army right out of high school and volunteered to go to Korea or Germany. Maybe I'd have bought a black overcoat and eyeliner and played Cure covers in a Boston club. Who the hell knows.

[Javaman]

47. lol trying to compare..

your high sat score to someone of this kids caliber is like trying to compare finger painting to Rembrandt.

Sorry, it don't work and fails miserably.

I never said my family was "full" of genius's, I said my two cousins were. There are many more of us who, I can say with out a doubt, very bright, but certainly not the level of intelligence that my two cousins display. phd at 19? That's pretty fucking amazing in anyones book.

You, my friend, haven't a clue.

Cheers to you.

[blueamy66]

46. That's great for them.

But I wouldn't want my kid to grow up this way.

They missed little league and Homecoming dances and pep rallies and just hanging out.

They say they don't miss it,,,,,cause they never got to experience it.

Oh well, different strokes for different folks....but kids are just plain missing out on childhood these days. I feel bad for them.

[Javaman]

48. Everyone is allowed to raise their kids their own way.

just because you don't like it, doesn't mean this kids family thinks it's odd.

Projecting ones values onto someone else's family seems to be a very common trait among people here at DU.

conversely, would you like these people pushing their values on to you?

I think we both know the answer to that.

[Javaman]

42. wow, just wow. nt

[KamaAina]

40. Is the course required for his major?

That would present a problem: essentially imposing an age reuirement for certain majors.

Try this: what if he were 18 but had a disability, and they told him he couldn't go because the travel were too rigorous?

[Javaman]

44. This is why this whole thing is total BS...

many many kids in high school do overseas schooling. It's nothing new and has been going on for decades.

The university using this excuse is bs.

Overseas students all ALL stay with families that are accredited by the local universities and have extensive background checks to be a host family.

It's no more a liability issue than if it were an 18, 19, 45 or 90 year old person.

Given the kids age, the only difference would be a chaperon which would be provided also by the local university.

This is done all the time.

[KittyWampus]

52. it's done all the time by high schools with programs set up for teenagers. Not by colleges

with programs for adults.

[Javaman]

54. Right LOL

nice try. LOL

You have never heard of exchanges between colleges, huh?

Wow.

[XemaSab]

53. According to my look at the catalog, no

The class also explicitly states that instructor consent is required to take this class. The instructor said no, and the kid is suing.

[Javaman]

55. Then that is vastly different from what is being touted by some of the people in this thread.

It's one thing being accepted into the class then being denied the opportunity to travel.

It's a completely other issue that the kid wasn't even accepted into the class.

it's up to the professor now to defend his decision, since the parents and the student feel the need to sue.

More than likely, if it's a good university, they will stand behind the professors recommendation.

[NashVegas]

49. Mmm, I Love the Smell of Self-Entitlement In the Afternoon

Smells like teen spirit, indeed.

[XemaSab]

50. There are no other classes that he could take that would fulfill this requirement?

And there are no other universities that offer an equivalent class that is in a less volatile place?

I just don't buy the idea that he "has" to have this class in Africa in order to graduate.

Yes, there are major programs with field camps, but going that far doesn't make sense for anyone.

[Brother Buzz]

51. Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

[DCKit]

57. Too damn young. n/t