Is Affirmative Action Fair?

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Published 2018-11-28
Affirmative action is back in the news, should it factor in College Admissions?

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What is affirmative action?

When it comes to colleges and universities, “affirmative action” refers to policies where race and sex are considered in the application process. They’re not the only things colleges look at-- they’re still looking at your grades, SAT scores, extracurricular activities, but they also take into account your race and gender in an effort to help ensure women and minorities are getting equal access to higher education.

What are the main arguments for affirmative action?

Many people in favor of affirmative action say that because of historical and institutional sexism and racism, it is necessary to make sure that women and minorities with good academic standing receive equal access to college. Another argument in favor of affirmative action is that racially diverse campuses and universities benefit all students. They are places where you learn to interact with and respect people who are different from you, skills that are essential to living and working in a diverse world.

What are the main arguments against affirmative action?

Many people that oppose affirmative action believe it’s not fair. They argue that these policies hurt whites and Asian-Americans if “less qualified” minority students are admitted over them. Some argue these policies end up hurting race relations if people assume the only reason a student is at a school is because of their race, even if they would have gotten in without affirmative action. Many opponents believe that college admissions should be based on merit alone, and not on things that you can’t change-- like race. Others argue that a more fair way to help those that are at a disadvantage would be to consider parental income or class, instead of race-- that way admissions policies don’t hurt poor whites and Asian-Americans.

SOURCES/ ADDITIONAL READINGS:
National Conference of State Legislature: Affirmative Action Overview
www.ncsl.org/research/education/affirmative-action…

ProCon.org: Does the US Need Affirmative Action?
aclu.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000697

ACLU: Who Supports Affirmative Action?
www.aclu.org/files/images/asset_upload_file670_372…

New York Times: How Minorities Have Faired In States With Affirmative Action Bans
archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/20…

National Women’s Law Center: Affirmative Action and What it Means for Women
nwlc.org/resources/affirmative-action-and-what-it-…

National Bureau of Economic Research
www.nber.org/papers/w20962

Pew Research Group:
www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/22/public-st…

Gallop Poll:
news.gallup.com/poll/193508/oppose-colleges-consid…

New York Times: Even With Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago
www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/24/us/affirmat…

Teen Vogue: What you need to know about race and college admissions
www.teenvogue.com/story/what-you-need-to-know-abou…

Brookings Institute: Black Students at Top Colleges Exceptions not the Rule
www.brookings.edu/blog/social-mobility-memos/2015/…

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All Comments (21)
  • @AboveTheNoise
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  • @ronarmitage2534
    when you are considering race for an applicant, you are practicing racism .
  • Should race be a factor? Short answer: a giant NO. You failed to mention that Asians are a minority too. Giving the best students a handicap based on race is not "reverse discrimination", it's flat out racism! You said "diverse teams are better". I find it extremely sad and demening that what you think makes people "different" is skin colour. I'll tell you what's true diversity: diversity of thought! No one cares about your looks as long as you bring interesting ideas to the table. You're risking excluding the best Asian and white minds just to take in people who look different in your pathetic definition of difference. This is unfair to those who get excluded and patronizing for minorities. If you wish to help poor people give them financial help, just like any other country. If blacks struggle, help them! Give them the chance to compete. Think of a better scholarship system, so you can get brilliant minds to Universities. Don't sacrifice merit on the altar of equality. You can help people in need while being fair to everyone else.
  • Man I’m Latino. and if a asian or white guy get better grades than me, They should be chosen. Not me, because of some law against racism/... We should choose based on merite!
  • @luigitaco2388
    I’m Hispanic, and I’d personally much rather be chosen because of my hard work rather than how I was born.
  • @streglof
    improving early education seems like a much better idea to me.
  • @rona175
    MLK said we should not judge people by their color of their skin but by the content of their character
  • @lixx0376
    I’m Asian and, no offense, I hate affirmative action. We need to vote a president who will destroy AA .
  • @yasseressa1696
    this reminds me of the Indian dude who pretended to be black to get into med school with 3.1 GPA
  • @jxliospeaks
    They should do away with affirmative action and instead throw more money towards lower-income education and neighborhoods. This will pretty much fix all those problems because if everyone is learning nearly the same curriculum without any extra “noise” from their surroundings then everyone will have a MORE equal chance than now.
  • @rou8390
    Gotta love fighting racism with racism
  • @InfectedChris
    Nope. It should always be the most qualified applicants, regardless of race.
  • @PATRIC765
    We tried this in India with caste and trust me don't try this at home.
  • @Submanca
    Race and gender should not be considered. If they are the other side is discriminated against. The class point has merit but the best way is to start much earlier and give everyone the same leg up or opportunities.
  • @Free.Speech.
    What's the word for when you choose someone over someone else, because of the colour of their skin?
  • @camcamlady8068
    Why do people have stronger feelings about affirmative action than legacy admissions? There are more legacy admits that don’t meet the grades+test score rigor than black or Hispanic students, but you hardly hear this topic in the comments.
  • I agree 100% that race should NEVER be a factor in anything. I would argue colleges shouldn't even be able to see your name until you attend, since they could tell from that alone. If something is outside of your control, it shouldn't be asked on college admissions.