Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action

Is affirmative action in higher education needed? This question provokes a myriad of emotions. Is affirmative action antiquated and unneeded in 21st century America? Or are the racial boundaries of this country’s ancestors still in effect? America’s Declaration of Independence states, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” yet quotas, check marks, and plus factors give minority students advantages in the admission processes of the country’s universities and colleges (NARA).

Known as one of the biggest obstacles in higher education to date would arguably be the use of affirmative action within the higher education admission process for both private and public institutions (Kaplin & Lee, 2014; Wang & Shulruf, 2012). The focus of current research is an attempt to either justify or deny the use of affirmative action within current practices through various higher education institutions, and though any one person could potentially be swayed to side with the rationale to maintain its use or disregard, the facts are quite clear that the future of this practice is unclear. Therefore, this essay will present current research in an attempt to determine if affirmative action should continue to be used

Affirmative action and any race-positive policies should be dismantled; I disagree with affirmative action. Better stated from the debate question: like Jim Crow, affirmative action is invidious racial discrimination. Affirmative action should take the path similarly to that taken in California – become abolished. Affirmative action does discriminate on a racial level. Affirmative action implies that minorities cannot achieve a certain goal without the help of a race-positive policy, which is invidious racial discrimination. While policies developed to create diversity may (or may not) bring in diversity, the policies are damaging and create a “second-class ‘minority degree.’” (Scalia, 1979) Colleges and employers should look at substance and

Perhaps one of the most divisive issues in the United States is race. While most Americans would rather not talk about it, there are still issues surrounding race that will strike the interest of most citizens. This is perhaps nowhere more true than the debate over affirmative action. Although the United States has made great strides in improving race relations over the past forty years, affirmative action continues to be one of the most controversial policies in America. It has rattle the halls of higher education. It has appeared on the steps of the Supreme Court. And it has divided not only different racial groups, but even members of a single racial group. In fact, I’ve heard some of the most heated conversation over affirmative action between two African Americans. Like myself, many other African Americans believe this policy is one the most effective strategies for leveling what has long been an uneven playing field. However, critics of affirmative action believe this kind of reform does an injustice to the idea of merit. Though no one can deny that minorities and women have made significant steps towards autonomy and equality in American society, there are still wide economic disparities between these groups and white males. While theses issues and controversies surrounding affirmative action can not be resolved easily, the question remains: do we still need affirmative action in America? I say yes, affirmative action was and is needed to achieve full gender and

America is known as the land of opportunity, where one could achieve anything they put their mind to, no matter who they are. Thousands of people from all over, migrate to the United States every year so that they can have access to opportunities they never had before. This is well known as, "the American dream”. Affirmative action has helped minorities to try and reach their American dream. Despite the fact that minorities and women have made a lot of headway in equality over the past decades, affirmative action should still be in place in the work place and education due to the hardship of minorities and women in the fight for equality. Minorities and as well as women has been oppressed for years while white men were moving forward and gaining more power in the country.

Many benefits have come from affirmative action and without it, we as a culture would be stuck in an environment of unrest. In the 1999 article “Affirmative Action in College and University Admissions: Yes,” the author, Martin Michaelson, has tried to use evidence to show that we need to see affirmative action

As a testament to the next discussion point of opportunities, especially within the realm of college admission, I have experienced firsthand the opportunities presented by affirmative action. As a low-income, first-generation college student, Virginia Tech had offered me a full scholarship based solely on merit and financial need. As a “minority” according to Virginia Tech, I had an

In the article states that affirmative action should be banned the student lost a spot

In the fifty-four years since its inception, affirmative action (a term first used by President John F. Kennedy) has been both praised for its progressive implications and critiqued for its lack of effectiveness. Affirmative action is the policy of favoring applicants from a minority group considered to be underprivileged or at a disadvantage. Traditional affirmative action refers to policies that favor applicants based on race and gender in direct defiance of the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Though it was imagined as being a temporary cure meant to level the playing field by bringing up those who were disadvantaged, it instead ended up holding down many who were more suitable in the hopes that others would catch

Affirmative action, what is it? If you’ve listened to the news recently it’s been a hot topic. But does everyone fully understand what it is? Affirmative action refers to the favoring of minorities in certain areas, in this case college admissions. Most schools require an applying student to fill out their race on their application. No big deal right? It’s what they do with that information that causes the real issue. The admissions office at a school looks over these applications and determines which are accepted or rejected. However, if you’re a student at the lower end for test scores or GPA and are a minority, you have a much greater chance of getting accepted than a caucasian person in the same situation. If we continue to enforce affirmative action within the admissions process of colleges and universities, then the success rates of students will continue to decrease.

Affirmative action is defined as “an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women sought to achieve a multicultural staff through affirmative action; also: a similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons” (Affirmative Action, n.d.). Affirmative action is a government policy that ensures that diversity is maintained in schools and in the workplace. It’s designed to assist individuals overcome previous effects of past discrimination, and to promote social equality for socioeconomically disadvantaged people. Even in today’s modern society, there are cultural divides in both the workplace and education. This paper will discuss both the pros and

Affirmative action is a product of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement and it is intended to provide equal opportunities for those who have been historically discriminated against within our society. Affirmative action policies are those that make an effort to improve opportunities for historically excluded groups within our society. When focusing on higher education, affirmative action is often referring to admission policies that have been put in place to provide equal access to education for groups that have been historically discriminated against, such as minority groups. This topic is greatly debated across college campuses within the United States. Supporters of affirmative action argue that after California Colleges in 1998 had dropped their affirmative action programs, that minority admissions had reportedly fallen. For example UC Berkeley’s admissions fell 61%, and UCLA 36% (Messerli, 2014). Critics of affirmative action argue that the policy is outdated, that we no longer live in a highly racial society, and that this policy is now causing reverse discrimination by favoring one group over another affirmative action is currently an issue not because there is extensive public outcry in support of racial discrimination, this is not to say that racial discrimination does not persist. The controversy of this issue surrounds around the disagreement about how to best fight discrimination in the current day, and whether to even recognize if

According to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, affirmative action is defined as "any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory practice, adopted to correct or compensate for past or present discrimination or to prevent discrimination from recurring in the future" (Statement on Affirmative Action, 1977). In the United States affirmative action is mostly associated with education, particularly college admissions. Certain universities and colleges would have a “prominent form of racial preferences” in their application process (Kahlenberg, 2015). According to Richard D. Kahlenberg, he claims colleges are able to limit or end affirmative action by showing how they can diversify without it. Recently, The University of Texas at Austin was challenged with affirmative action by twenty-three year old white female, Abigail Fisher. Fisher claims that she was rejected by the University, yet other students of different minorities managed to get in despite being less qualified. The Fisher case was an attempt to send a strong signal to colleges in

Affirmative action is a question of morals, so I do believe the affirmative action programs should be based on race. Usually affirmative action defined the policy of giving opportunities to racial minority groups or women, not the economic weak.

Affirmative action is an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination especially in relation to employment or education positive discrimination.