The University of Michigan Should NOT Use Affirmative Action

1535 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Influence of affirmative action

The University of Michigan Should NOT Use Affirmative Action

Imagine, your walking down the street looking for a job. You see a sign in the window that says, “Whites encouraged to apply.” Imagine the period in time when just being white got you into a college, without any other considerations of grades or athletic ability. Those were the days of the Jim Crow laws. Now these instances have happened in the past 20 years, through new laws called Affirmative Action. The big argument is over these few years of affirmative action. Have they alleviated the pain of the Jim Crow laws? The answer to that question is no. Especially, in the case of the University of Michigan‘s use of Affirmative Action in the acceptance of students. Using race as a factor of admission is wrong and is reverse discrimination.

Jennifer Gratz, Patrick Hamacher, and Barber Grutter have filed lawsuits against the University of Michigan for being denied admission based on their race. Hamacher had a “GPA of slightly under 3.4 and an ACT score of 28” (Kosseff). Gratz, who attended Southgate High School, had a GPA of 3.765 and ACT score of 25, said she hopes to change an admissions system that she believes is flawed” (Kosseff). Grutter, who tried to gain admission to the University of Michigan law school, maintained a straight-A average through college. She did this all in spite having two children and working nights to support them. All of them witnessed students with much lower credentials get accepted because they were minorities.

“The university is unapologetic about its use of race in admissions. According to Michigan's president, Lee Bollinger, it's the right thing to do” (Bradley). Lee Bolinger says :

The basic idea is that students learn better when they're in an environment in which not everyone is just like them. And we take into account a host of factors. Race and ethnicity are two, but there are many others. The question of bigness or smallness of the--of the factor is not the way to look at it. The--the question is: How much do you value diversity as an educational tool for your students? (Bradley)

This maybe a noble idea, but the system to get to this idea of diversity is evil and wrong.

Carl Cohen is the professor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan and has been since 1955. He is old enough to remember the discriminatory practices at certain schools set ...

... middle of paper ...

... person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (Lowery). The university is going against this amendment all the way in their admission policies. Admitting a student who is less qualified just because they are a minority is wrong. The University of Michigan is racist and should accept the students with the best grades and ACT scores no matter what race they are.

Works Cited

Bradley, Ed. Interview. Professor Cohen . CBS. 60 Minutes. 29 Oct. 2000.

.

Chavez, Linda. “Is Racial Preference Unfair?” 19 June 2000. The Affiramtive Action

And Diversity Project . 14 Dec. 2000. 16 Feb. 2002.

Kosseff, Jeffrey. “Firm files lawsuit challenging University’s admission policies.”

The Michigan Daily. 14 Oct 1997. 16 Feb. 2002
Daily/1997/oct/10-14-97/news/extra.html>.

Lowry, Richard. “Quota U – Ann Arbor shows its colors.” National Review 19 March

2001. Find Articles.com. Gale Group. 16 Feb. 2002

.

Show More
Related

  • Masculinity In The Movie: 12 Years A Slave

    1733 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a world where slavery existed, enslaved men and women were becoming more aware of the injustice inflicted upon them because of their skin color. In that world, black people were being forced to migrate, sold, kidnapped and traded in the name of slavery. Slavery was the ultimate business that condemned black men and women’s humanity and freedom. The slaves became the reliable pathway for people of white skin to obtain power and prosperity. Obtaining freedom was not an option but more of a necessity not only for the slaves but also for all their descendants. The enslaved men were put in a situation where their pride of masculinity was taken away from them. Eventually, there came a time when rebellious slaves strived to conquer what white men had stolen from them, what made them true men, their virility. With no rights, the enslaved men were completely being stripped of their masculinity, which was to men the main factor of being a true man. The white men impertinently build a sense of self-esteem by keeping their masculinity and thriving from the slaves’ pain. The movie “12 years a slave” portrays the idea that manhood was a concept important

    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 in College Admissions

    1570 Words  | 4 Pages

    Affirmative action has been a controversial topic ever since it was established in the 1960s to right past wrongs against minority groups, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and women. The goal of affirmative action is to integrate minorities into public institutions, like universities, who have historically been discriminated against in such environments. Proponents claim that it is necessary in order to give minorities representation in these institutions, while opponents say that it is reverse discrimination. Newsweek has a story on this same debate which has hit the nation spotlight once more with a case being brought against the University of Michigan by some white students who claimed that the University’s admissions policies accepted minority students over them, even though they had better grades than the minority students. William Symonds of Business Week, however, thinks that it does not really matter. He claims that minority status is more or less irrelevant in college admissions and that class is the determining factor.

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action - The Battles Against Race-based Educational Plans

    2279 Words  | 5 Pages

    California's decision in 1996 to outlaw the use of race in public college admissions was widely viewed as the beginning of the end for affirmative action at public universities all over the United States. But in the four years since Californians passed Proposition 209, most states have agreed that killing affirmative action outright would deepen social inequality by denying minority citizens access to higher education. The half-dozen states that are actually thinking about abandoning race-sensitive

    Read More

  • Gratz And Hamacher's Argument Analysis

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1995, Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacher were two Caucasian students who applied for admission into the University of Michigan’s school of Literature, Science and the Arts with in-state tuition. They were told that they were denied admission because they were not competitive enough applicants to be admitted on the first review. Two years later, Gratz and Hamacher decide to file a class action lawsuit against the University, the school they were applying for, Lee Bollinger, and James Duderstadt, arguing that the admission procedure discriminated against certain racial and ethnic groups which violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

    Read More

  • Race Based Admission In College

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every spring, high school students around the country anxiously check their mailboxes, hoping to receive letters of acceptance to their dream colleges. Typically, in perfect world, acceptance to college should be based on grades, SAT scores, letters of recommendation, character, extra-curricular activities, and personal statements. Recently, however, another factor in the admission process has become more and more accepted; race based admission. This new policy has been made in order to give minority students a better opportunity to gain acceptance into better colleges. In the 1960’s, President Lynden B. Johnson trying to bring diversity to higher education in the United States and serve as a peace offering for past discriminatory treatment, the use of race in the application process is supported by some and opposed by others. Supporters of the affirmative action claim that it is necessary to achieve diversity in education, which in their opinion should be sought above all else, while the opponents say race based admission actually promote racism and discrimination by the use of skin color in the admission policy. Since the introduction of race is a factor in acceptance, many people have challenged the legality of affirmative action. The Supreme Court has heard many cases related to race based admission and this continues today. Furthermore, this essay will look into the different opinions as to whether or not race should factor into university enrollment policies.

    Read More

  • Cheryl Hopwood's Affirmative Action Cases

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    Very vital issues are discussed under this video especially when arguing affirmative action. The case and the merits discussed dealt with Cheryl Hopwood, who was denied admission to a Texas law school, which held that the “Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment does not allow race to be used as a factor in law school admission.” Although the United State Supreme Court denied certiorari, she had the potential to impact the future of affirmative action programs significantly and should capture the attention of law school admissions committees across the nation. Furthermore, the goals of the law school’s affirmative action admissions program included achieving diversity and overcoming early effects of discrimination. This

    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

  • Affirmative Action Programs Research Paper

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though the equal protection clause prohibits classifications of individuals based on race, colleges still use race as a preference during the application process. So in order to increase diversity without being unconstitutional, universities will never admit students based on "quotas," but they will "sculpt" the class with race and gender percentages in mind. By not specifically having quotas, universities are able to remain constitutional while increasing diversity in their admissions. One study, Kane(1998) found that elite colleges place less weight on high school GPAs of minority applicants than of comparable white applicants. This study proves true at the University of Michigan, a race conscious admissions school, where the cumulative GPAs of blacks and Hispanics are consistently lower than those of whites and Asians. So although they were not admitted based exclusively on race, it is clear that minority groups are given preference due to the lower averages of these groups compared to others. Not only are minorities grades consistently lower, but they are given a boost on tests such as the SAT. According to the National Study of College Experience, African American applicants received the equivalent of 230 extra SAT points (on a 1600 scale), Hispanic students received an extra 150 points, and Asian Americans had an average of 50 points deducted from their SAT

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action: Keeping minorities down for 30 years.

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    The most common question that arises in contemporary debates over affirmative action is, “Does affirmative action still work as intended?” The original purpose of affirmative action in college admissions was to eliminate racial bias in the applicant selection process and provide a helping hand to disadvantaged minority students. Has this happened? The simple answer is “No”, but a more precise answer requires more elaboration. Richard Rodriguez, the Mexican-American author of Hunger of Memory and a direct beneficiary of early affirmative action policies, puts it this way, “I think – as I thought in 1967 – that the black civil rights leaders were correct: Higher education was not, nor is it yet, accessible to many black Americans” (Rodriguez 144).

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action Must Play a Role in College Admissions

    2887 Words  | 6 Pages

    The issue of Affirmative Action, preferences towards persons of racial minorities to compensate for prior discrimination, in college admissions is a quite complicated one. Many sides must be explored to gain a better understanding of the theories and views on this issue. It is not easily answered with a yes or no. Since its inception, Affirmative Action’s use has been a major debate in American society. Many questions are left to be investigated. Many believe that we should live in a society where preferential treatment could be eliminated, and admission to college is based solely on one’s merit and character, yet this view seems quite unrealistic.

    Read More

  • Summary: The Importance Of Diversity In Law Schools

    2329 Words  | 5 Pages

    In 1997 Barbara Grutter, a white female Michigan resident with a 3.8 GPA and a 161 LSAT score, applied to go to the University of Michigan Law School, one of the nation’s top law schools. The school follows an official admissions policy that strives to achieve a diverse student body in accordance to the president set by Regents of Univ. of Cal. v. Bakke. She was denied acceptance into the school. When the school was asked why, they openly admitted that it uses race as a factor in making admissions decisions because it serves a "compelling interest in achieving diversity among its student body." A year, later Jennifer Gratz applied for admission to the University of Michigan’ College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) as a resident of the state of Michigan. Although the LSA considered Gratz to be well qualified and within the qualification range, she was denied early admission and eventually denied admission as a student. Once

    Read More

  • Examples Of Social Mobility By Richard T. Shaefer

    939 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social Mobility according to Richard T. Schaefer is defined as “movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society 's stratification system to another.” Many people believe that the social group they are born into is the one they will spend their whole lives, Thats simply not the case. Millions of people have been born into poverty and have spent their whole life working their way out of the lower class rank and into the middle class or even high class rank. At the same time there are people that have been born into high or middle class groups but as a result of loosing their jobs or failing to find a job they fall to the lower class.

    Read More

  • Diversity in the Classroom

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    Diversity has broad ranges of spectrums. Students from all across the continent; students from political refugees, indigenous Americans, and immigrants bring their culture and linguistic skills to American classrooms. Students do not only bring their cultures and linguistic skills, but they bring their ethnics, talents, and skills. In addition, their age and gender are two other spectrums that are part of diversity. As the years go by, diversity becomes a controversial topic. The more students that are accepted into American schools from different countries, the more diverse and rich classrooms become.

    Read More

  • Personal Reflection: Through The Eyes Of Mandela

    2028 Words  | 5 Pages

    I followed this principle during my tenure at the University of Fort Hare. I was a member of the Student Representative Council at the university, and the members of the council were dissatisfied with the lack of power given to the SRC. In response, many members, including myself, resigned from our positions because we felt we were not being respected. I was then expelled from the university until I decided to rejoin the SRC. Naturally, I returned to my home instead of school as there was no change in the opposing side’s stance. As a member of the Africa National Congress (ANC), I was a leading force during the anti-apartheid movement. South African blacks were attempting to gain respect from the white people and the ANC represented blacks in the fight to end apartheid. For twenty years I led a series of nonviolent acts of civil disobedience to combat the racist South African government, leading landmark events such as the 1952 Defiance Campaign as well as the 1955 Congress of the People (History.com). I also launched a campaign against the Pass Laws which required nonwhites to carry documents in “restricted” white areas, the ultimate form of disrespect (Britannica). I attempted to defend the rights of unrepresented blacks by starting a law firm with Oliver Tambo. Through all of these efforts I found that until black South Africans were

    Read More

More about The University of Michigan Should NOT Use Affirmative Action

Open Document