Discrimination in College Admissions

I like to think of myself as a person who can appreciate and understand everyone's opinions. Although I might not agree with them, I feel as if everyone's beliefs and thoughts deserve to have equal initial respect. This leads me to where I was first introduced to discrimination and racism, the exact opposite concepts I now try to surround myself with. I have lived in Cross Roads, Pennsylvania for the entirety of my young life and if there is anything obvious about my community, it is that we are not very advanced in the diversity department. My hometown is predominantly white, which brings on a whole new set of problems concerning discrimination and racism, especially when a family of a different race moves to our community. Now don't get me wrong, my family, my friends, my neighbors, are not bad people. Most of them are great people but a few have just been brought up with idealisms that I myself find racist in nature. As an example, someone I spend a lot of time with because of family relations is in many ways ignorant to people different than them. They, like me, grew up in a

In the 1960s governmental policy regarding minorities in society was started in a conclusion from the social liberties developments. This was produced into results to balance separation towards minorities. The arrangement has favored those gatherings of individuals that endured in the occupation, instruction, and government parts. Other terms can used to describe affirmation action such as equal opportunities and race-based preferences. By allowing such a program like it, it has helped minorities into professions that beforehand were hard or not allowed entry into. Of all the groups affected, the group that was most positively affected would be white women.

Affirmative action in college admissions continues to be heatedly debated. In 2003, the Supreme Court had ruled in Grutter v. Bollinger that diversity was a compelling interest for colleges to use race in admissions. In the amicus brief that the American Sociological Association et al. provided to the Supreme Court, sociological evidence was presented to elucidate the value of affirmative action. Yet in 2006, Proposal 2 was passed in Michigan to ban affirmative action in public education (Levitsky). Based on the information in the amicus brief, the correlation between race and socioeconomic status of the minorities, and the negative effects of banning affirmative action, admissions officers at the University of Michigan should consider

Being admitted into college is a difficult process, one that requires students to be diligent in their studies, engage in a number of extracurricular activities, and overcome the everyday pressures and challenges that high-schoolers face across the country. Admittedly, not everyone in the United States is born with the same opportunities as socioeconomic factors as well as historic injustices have contributed to a society in which some people are far more likely to achieve upward mobility – of which, obtaining a college degree is a necessary part – than others. While there is need to rectify this reality,

There is one case that intrigues me, and confusing to me as well, Tompkins v. Alabama State University (AS) (1995). In the case of T v. AS, AS was told by a federal judge that the university needed to spend more state funds for scholarships to attract white students, the university was primarily black. The judge required the university to become more diversified. Jessie Tompkins along with others filed a lawsuit against the university and its white scholarship. In 2000 AS changed the name of the scholarship, making it racially inclusive. Tompkins denied the settlement because AS could still discriminate (Legislatures, June 2016). My confusion is, most want even opportunities for everyone, but AS had to change the program so it could no longer

Not only does Affirmative action prevent discrimination, but also this legislation implemented by the national government can diversify and improve the overall well being of businesses and schools. Sometimes individuals of a minority group are rejected for a position or declined acceptance to a university not because they are inept, but due to outdated stereotypical assumptions that cause an employer or official to reconsider that person. The ideas behind affirmative action prevent unfair labeling from those whose

Additionally, not taking race into account allows universities to enhance their selection system. Not only does this dismiss the possibility of being influenced by ethnicity, but it rewards excellency in more qualified students. Since in society, people choose to award high-skilled positions to highly qualified people, it certainly makes sense to admit the most capable individuals. Louis P. Pojman, in his article “The Case Against Affirmative Action,” states that,

Many colleges have come across the topic of diversity one way or another. In 2003, Abigail Fisher an applicant at the University of Texas, sued the college for failing to acknowledge her right to equal protection under the constitution. In her argument she stated that she felt the college had racially profiled her, which led to the dismissal of her application during the admission process. In the end the supreme court ruled in the favor of the college concluding the rights of Fisher had not been violated (Ortiz 714). This is an example of how diversity has emerged problematically within different systems. The ongoing

This mixed method research will show how HBCU graduates being discriminated against and why it is important because those graduates have worked hard to obtain certain degrees, and for them to be discriminated against is unfair. Well, in the near future this problem could be solved, if the right steps are taken because the evidence to punish employers is exposed more now than ever before. Websites are displaying how “bad” HBCU students graduation rates are and a plethora of other things that censures them; They also throw statistics out to try to make HBCU’S look atrocious, which makes discriminating against them seem constitutional. Many websites mentioned that going to an HBCU is a bad idea and it sets you up for failure. Lastly,

Newspaper headlines and public forums demand educational reform with growing frequency. Race-sensitive admissions policies are often at the center of these debates. For example, according to the Los Angeles Times on March 21, 2001, the Los Angeles Community College district trustees are scheduled to vote for a resolution to support the University of California’s move to reinstate affirmative action in its admissions policies. This reinstatement has visible student support as seen in the March 15, 2001 rallies at the UC Regent’s meeting in which over 1,000 supporters of affirmative action came out to voice their opinion. This activity closely follows two other perceived victories for affirmative action proponents when two recent court

ISSUE: Can a public university or institution for higher learner tailor their admission of applicants by race to balance diversity within their student body?

The concept of race based admission policy is used in colleges to create diversity in campuses, but to some it is another kind of discrimination. According to Stacy Teicher Khadaroo staff writer of “A sticky week for college admissions as affirmative action debate heats up; After a leaked Justice Department document, tensions roil over the use of race at top universities such as Harvard. But many other selective schools may be quietly shifting away from the practice,” top colleges uphold the same commitment to create diversity and using race in admission to accomplish it instead of merit or income. Nonetheless, Department of Justice spokeswomen, Sarah Isgur Flores, is willing to investigate the effects of affirmative action, "The posting

However, California’s usage of racial quotas in this case violated the Equal Protection Clause and did not meet those requirements. The Equal Protection Clause outlaws a state from denying “to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (McBride). The court concluded that the school discriminated against whites because it barred them from 16 out of the 100 admission spots exclusively because of race. The fact that blacks have historically been discriminated against more than whites did not matter at all in this case because racial quota systems, no matter who they are applied to, are always “odious to a free people whose institutions are founded upon the doctrine of equality”

I believe that the TPP Plan has the right idea, that admissions should be academically based and colorblind. Thus, my policy is similar but does not involve automatic admissions or percentages. The policy I would institute is an academics-only approach to admissions, wherein any other factors besides academic history and potential of an applicant are disregarded. These additional factors include, but are not limited to, gender, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, creed, disability, legacy, income, or athletic ability. The policy would only apply to public four-year institutions and schools that receive any federal funding. If a private school wants to discriminate based on factors beyond academics then they should have that right and if people wish to attend that type of school they too have that right. But alongside of that should exist impartial options for higher education where applicants are not judged or discriminated for or against based on arbitrary traits that they have no control over, except the only one that should matter at a college or university, academics.

In order to study the need of a racially and culturally diverse college campus, the journey and battles fought must be dicussed. While there is a lack of diversity on college campuses today, they are not completely devoid of people of color. However, there was a time when college campuses were one hundred percent Caucasian. Jonathan R. Alger, Jorge Chapa and a team of researchers conducted studies on various college classrooms. They then went on to publish their findings in a book titled Does Diversity make a Difference? The purpose of their paper was to discuss the importance of diversity and reveal the effects of non-diverse campus. They begin their book by taking a look into the history of diversity in America. The start of the Civil Rights movement along with President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty took place in the mid 1960s. These events forced the country to face the reality of the people of color in America. These Americans of color did not have equal access to education, jobs, housing, or other valued resources (Alger et al. 2000). College administrators and faculty were starting to understand the necessity of a diverse campus. The realized that people of color had just as much to offer to the United States as the Caucasian majority. During that time, “many higher education faculty members and administrators were deeply concerned that abandonment of race sensitive admissions and hiring, at a time when most minority groups continue to be unrepresented in higher education, will severely limit campus diversity and would undermine the learning environment for all students.” (Alger et al. 2000). Additionally, a lot of the traditionally white colleges and universities were provoked and questioned by the concerns of their students. The universities and colleges began to notice their inability to extend the same educational