The Affirmative Action Debate

1650 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Why is diversity important in higher education

For the sake of this essay, affirmative action in education is defined as: “policies and programs designed to advance equality of educationalopportunity for individuals from groups that have suffered systematic historical discrimination” (Mickelson 29). What is being referred to here is race-based affirmative action, or the act of taking into consideration an applicant’s race in the college admissions process. This is a hot topic all over the United States and has been for quite a while, the debate raging between two sides: those in support of affirmative action and those opposed. The ethics of affirmative action itself are difficult to determine, but here an attempt will be made to prove that affirmative action is indeed unfair. In addition, perhaps people are looking at the wrong issue. Maybe the real problem is the early education gap between the minority and majority students, something that, if fixed, could solve the issue of affirmative action once and for all. Just to make things clear, because the topic of this is race-based affirmative action, “majority” will refer to the racial majorities in college admissions (mainly whites and to some extent Asians) and “minority” will refer to racial minorities (such as African Americans, Hispanics, etc.) Also, diversity, unless stated otherwise, means racially diverse. Before any analysis can take place, it is beneficial to first know a little bit about the subject area. With that in mind, the history of affirmative action can be condensed into the basics: Supreme Court cases and major legislation. Civil Rights Act of 1964 got the ball rolling on affirmative action, both in education and in general. Title VI of this Act ordered desegregation of public educational institutions, from... ... middle of paper ... .... 2008. Web. 01 Nov. 2011 Garrison-Wade, Dorothy F., and Chance W. Lewis. “Affirmative Action: History And Analysis.”Journal Of College Admission 184 (2004): 23-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. Mickelson, Roslyn A. “Affirmative Action in Education.” Education and Sociology: anEncyclopedia. By David L. Levinson, Peter W. Cookson, and Alan R. Sadovnik. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2002. Print. Moreno, Pamela Barta. “The History Of Affirmative Action Law And Its Relation To College Admission.” Journal Of College Admission 179 (2003): 14-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. Ogletree, Jr., Charles J. “The Case For Affirmative Action.” Stanford Alumni Association. Stanford Magazine. Web. 01 Nov. 2011. Sacks, David, and Peter Thiel. “The Case Against Affirmative Action.” Stanford Alumni Association. Stanford Magazine. Web. 01 Nov. 2011.

Show More
Related

  • Diversity's False Solace Summary

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    Purpose: Michaels has published his claim as he wishes to reveal how he sees the purpose of affirmative action in higher education as a front of racial diversity to hide the lack of any class based affirmative action leaving little opportunity for the very low income. Michaels express great satisfaction in how he see affirmative action used basically allowing the rich to triumph while looking like everything is fine and diverse.

    Read More

  • The Department of Veteran Affairs

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    Originally, assistance for veterans began in the 1600 where the colony passed laws where soldiers that became disabled while fighting with the Pequot Indians would be supported by the colony. The DVA was established as a cabinet-level position under the Bush administration in 1989. The agency mission is based on a commitment statement that was developed by President Lincoln, which commits the organization to excellence.

    Read More

  • None of This is Fair by Mr. Richard Rodriguez

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    Discrimination is still a chronic global issue, and drastic inequalities still exist at the present time. Thus, the Affirmative Action Law is an important tool to many minorities most especially to women, and people of color, for the reason that this program provides an equality on educational, and professional opportunities for every qualified individual living in the United States. Without this program, a higher education would have been impossible for a “minority students” to attain. Additionally, without the Affirmative Action, a fair opportunity to have a higher-level career...

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action and College Admissions: A Legal and Ethical Analysis

    3614 Words  | 8 Pages

    The institution of public education has been one of the most controversial establishments in the United States since its inception. More specifically, equality in the conditions and the opportunities it provides has been sought as one of its major goals. There is little doubt that minority ethnic groups have struggled to achieve educational equality, just as they have struggled for equality in other aspects of life. One way that minorities have tried to achieve equality in education is through lobbying for help in college admissions for their respective groups. This social practice has been debated on many grounds, including necessity and ethical permissibility.

    Read More

  • Reverse Discrimination In College Admissions

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    Affirmative action, the act of giving preference to an individual for hiring or academic admission based on the race and/or gender of the individual has remained a controversial issue since its inception decades ago. Realizing its past mistake of discriminating against African Americans, women, and other minority groups; the state has legalized and demanded institutions to practice what many has now consider as reverse discrimination. “Victims” of reverse discrimination in college admissions have commonly complained that they were unfairly rejected admission due to their race. They claimed that because colleges wanted to promote diversity, the colleges will often prefer to accept applicants of another race who had significantly lower test scores and merit than the “victims”. In “Discrimination and Disidentification: The Fair-Start Defense of Affirmative Action”, Kenneth Himma responded to these criticisms by proposing to limit affirmative action to actions that negate unfair competitive advantages of white males established by institutions (Himma 277 L. Col.). Himma’s views were quickly challenged by his peers as Lisa Newton stated in “A Fair Defense of a False Start: A Reply to Kenneth Himma” that among other rationales, the Fair-Start Defense based on race and gender is a faulty justification for affirmative action (Newton 146 L. Col.). This paper will also argue that the Fair-Start Defense based on race and gender is a faulty justification for affirmative action because it cannot be fairly applied in the United States of America today. However, affirmative action should still be allowed and reserved for individuals whom the state unfairly discriminates today.

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action: Giving Preferential Admissions to Minority Students

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charles, Camille Z., et al. "Affirmative-Action Programs for Minority Students: Right in Theory, Wrong in Practice." The Chronicle of Higher Education 55.29 (2009). Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Aug. 2011.

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action in College Admissions

    1570 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, affirmative action is “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women.” However, despite its well-intentioned policies, it has been the source of much controversy over the years. Barbara Scott and Mary Ann Schwartz mention that “proponents of affirmative action argue that given that racism and discrimination are systemic problems, their solutions require institutional remedies such as those offered by affirmative action legislation” (298). Also, even though racism is no longer direct, indirect forms still exist in society and affirmative action helps direct. On the other hand, opponents to affirm...

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action

    3452 Words  | 7 Pages

    Lockheed, Marlaine. (1998) International Perspectives on Affirmative Action in the 1990s Educational Researcher, Vol. 27, No. 9, 6-7.

    Read More

  • Essay About Asthma

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    Asthma is a chronic disease that makes it difficult to breathe. The airways to the lungs swell up and become inflamed, which narrows the air passageway to the lungs and the lungs cannot receive the amount of oxygen that it needs. “Mucus builds up inside the airways so you have trouble getting air in and out of your lungs.” (Pope, 2002, p.44). If the lungs do not receive the essential amount of air, it will cause a lot of distress and wheezing to the patient.

    Read More

  • Racial Bias in College Admission

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pojman, Louis P. "The Case Against Affirmative Action." Csus.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Is Affirmative Action still needed?

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    The issue of affirmative action has been a controversial one since its inception. The law was developed during the 1960’s as a result of the civil rights movement and the need to address injustices committed against minorities throughout the United States history. There were multiple attempts to correct the inequities between the majority and the various minorities including the 13, 14 and 15th Amendments. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 allowed for the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to create rules to end discrimination. Affirmative action came into being with the executive order 11246 issued by President Johnson. The Civil Rights Act and President Johnson’s executive order have been updated throughout the years to address gender, disabilities, age and other characteristics that could be considered discriminatory.

    Read More

  • Asthma During Pregnancy:

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    Soak some raisins in water overnight and then put them in a cup of cold milk for half an hour. Chew it.

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    The discrimination against Caucasian and Asian American students a long with the toleration of lower quality work produced by African American students and other minority students is an example of the problems caused by Affirmative Action. Although affirmative action intends to do good, lowering the standards by which certain racial groups are admitted to college is not the way to solve the problem of diversity in America's universities. The condition of America's public schools is directly responsible for the poor academic achievement of minority children. Instead of addressing educational discrepancies caused by poverty and discrimination, we are merely covering them up and pretending they do not exist, and allowing ourselves to avoid what it takes to make a d... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action on Social Inequality

    1665 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tairo, Mario. "A Critical Look at Affirmative Action - Panorama - TakingITGlobal." A Critical Look at Affirmative Action - Panorama - TakingITGlobal. Taking It Global, 05 Apr. 2005. Web. 01 May 2014.

    Read More

  • Why Affirmative Action Should Be Eliminated

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Affirmative action policies were created to help level the playing field in American society. Supporters claim that these plans eliminate economic and social disparities to minorities, yet in doing so, they’ve only created more inequalities. Whites and Asians in poverty receive little to none of the opportunities provided to minorities of the same economic background (Messerli). The burden of equity has been placed upon those who were not fortunate enough to meet a certain school’s idea of “diversity” (Andre, Velasquez, and Mazur). The sole reason for a college’s selectivity is to determine whether or not a student has the credentials to attend that school....

    Read More

More about The Affirmative Action Debate

Open Document