The Position of Affirmative Action in Universities Today
The Position of Affirmative Action in Universities Today
After about thirty years of implementation, affirmative action is losing the foothold that it has in our society. Many debates have arisen with the passing of proposition 209, a ban on affirmative action in California. Washington has even passed an initiative modeled from proposition 209, and more states are now starting to debate the issue. The ban has become a reality in major universities in California and Texas. The results show a significant decrease in the enrollment of minorities. Thus the question arises, what should we do with affirmative action? Specifically, should public universities follow affirmative action in the enrollment of students?
The University of Georgia was ordered by federal courts to admit its first black students on January 6, 1961. Since then, segregation has been abolished in all areas of the United States. The ending of affirmative action brings many new fears as to whether this desegregation will continue. There are fears that schools will decide to not admit minority students at all. Then the community will regress to where it was back in 1961. There is no doubt that affirmative action has helped minority students to be accepted into college. The question arises though, is it the best program?
Many anti-affirmative action proponents are crying "reverse discrimination." They are saying that color should have absolutely no part in the enrollment of students at all. Many white students are angry at the notion of any preferential treatment based on color towards the enrollment of students. I was angry at this notion at first, but then I realized that colleges have always been using preferential treatment for many other things other than race. Athletes, musicians, children of alumni, and veterans are all given preferential treatment for enrollment, and for valid reasons too. Then, is it fair to enroll people based on their ethnicity? Well, it depends on how much people value diversification in the classroom. Diversification is a value I appreciate in a school. I would love to have more diverse classrooms here at school. From the few experiences I have had, diverse people have greatly broadened my mind. While living in my cultural nutshell, I had the opinion that all foreigners look at America as the best country in the...