Argumentative Essay on Affirmative Action In Higher Education Text

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3 sources consulted length: 1543 words 4.4 double spaced pages affirmative action and higher education two people stand in a room looking at a vibrant painting and receive a totally different image. When trying to solve a problem or create a new idea, we need each other to bring forth considerations and concepts that would never occur otherwise. This concept is something most of us grasp in theory, yet it never ceases to confound and confuse us if someone draws a conclusion tangent from ours when presented with the same information.

Policies that are viewed by some as righting past wrongs are viewed by others as creating a level playing field or even instigating a new phase of unjust discrimination. Part of this confusion is because the range of views not only shifts between people, but also over time. Policies that once appeared to be necessary can, in a few decades, seem excessive. to view the full essay now, purchase below the fact that white people are not admitted, due to extra points that black students received by affirmative action's rule, represents a reverse discrimination because white students also are entitled to equal treatment, based on meritocracy. Theoretically, affirmative action was introduced in order to overcome past discrimination and make the society more equal. The criteria for admission should be based on merit, on who really deserves to be admitted.

In fact, the fourteenth amendment, which declares that states must give all people equal protection of the laws makes race an impermissible factor in state university selection practices. How can we conciliate the reality of affirmative action as it is actually practiced with the version that it is a race based preference, which was introduced in order to overcome past discrimination? when minority and under qualified groups are preferred it represents a discrimination and, in particular, a reverse discrimination against white people. In fact, the argument that the plaintiff's attorney who represented the white students grutter v. Bollinger in the michigan's law school case said his clients have a personal right not to have their race count against them. There are educational and cultural diversities that influence the pedagogical benefits.

The admission policies based on affirmative action has his impact not only in the office of admission, but in all students' environment. Even though american society is a multiethnic reality, we have to realize that different cultures in the same classroom not always can produce a high educational value if there is not the same level of knowledge. In fact, the racial balance we find in work world is the result of a positive economic process, and it is not a result of a pre fixed quota as in university admission, which could negatively impact the pedagogical purpose. It is not the affirmative action the way for contributing to the entire community's future, but the way is to allow only people with the same intellectual background to contribute together to a better society. For example, in the case that both white and black students are admitted, affirmative action does not always represent a real help during the black student's university career. In fact could be very hard for the minority applicants to fill the gap with other students due to different educational background of knowledge.

It is a frustrating situation because minorities realize how hard is to be in a class where the level of students' learning it is different, and where there are students who waist their time to wait for the others that need more time to understand, due to their different cultures. As a result, theoretical equal opportunities do not mean racial integration, and as soon as students have the possibility they prefer to have dinner, to sleep, to live with people of his race. It is doubtful that affirmative action can ever be justified as compensation, because compensation is a matter of individual, not group, entitlement, and allowing black applicants to have preference now cannot compensate generations of blacks who suffered injustice in the past. We have to rejected preferences designed to compensate for the effects of unspecified historic or social discrimination. To remedy past discrimination, a state must identify with particularity the discrimination to be remedied, and design the preference to benefit only those persons who were discriminated against and only to the degree necessary to counteract the effect of the discrimination.

American universities give the students the opportunity to receive a high education, but on the other hand these universities are the most expensive. If the purpose were to increase the intellectual level of people and to give a competitive education for the benefit of the whole community, the race preference would not be very helpful. The tuition still remains extremely expensive, and a more objective system could be based on the parent's income.

Students, whites or blacks, who have the same capacities, could be admitted at university, and their tuition would be in percentage on their parent's income, without any relevance of their race. Everyone would like to be successful in his life, but that it is a result of a huge hard work. It is a reverse discrimination to give to the minorities groups more possibilities than other people to succeed in their lives.

The argument that race no longer matters is a signal that it is time to change to a more objective method of university admission. Therefore, the system that most american universities use to screen candidates for admission demands to be changed and affirmative action should be ended in university admission. If university really wants to give equal opportunities why does it not decide the amount of tuition based on the parents' income, in order to allow that even the poorer student, white or black does not matter, could study, instead of using affirmative action. attention. hotessays.blogspot.com provides free sample argumentative essays and argumentative essay examples on any topics and subjects. Essaylib.com essay writing service produces 100% custom essays, term papers amp research papers, written by quality essay writers only. In effort to restore equality, an amendment was made to the constitution in 1868 the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment declared that every individual was guaranteed equal rights as a citizen of america langwith 188. Kennedy took office in 1961, he established the president’s equal employment opportunity commission eeoc by signing executive order 10925.

The order stated, the contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during their employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin guernsey 30 31. Over the years to current times, affirmative action is still being used in recruiting college students, providing scholarships and awarding contracts to workers. Providing assistance to people is not an issue whatsoever but rather, the current use of race and color as factors and categories to determine who gets to benefit from affirmative action policies creates a huge problem.

By using such preferential categories, affirmative action is condoning the same power of discrimination that brought about the civil war and the civil rights movement. By analyzing the current misuse of affirmative action, we can see the negative impacts that this step forward can and has imposed on the both the beneficiary and the secluded side and, how this policy can be upgraded for the better or why it should be abolished completely. The initial mistake made in the implementation of affirmative action can be seen in the interpretation of the policy and all the rulings and laws passed in support of it. Equal employment opportunity commission’s civil rights act of 1964, title vii protects individuals against employment discrimination on the bases of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion race/color discrimination.

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In all these laws passed, the main words and idea to pick out is ‘every’, i.e. Affirmative action was never meant for a select few individuals of a certain race or gender. Nevertheless, today the policy can be best described as affirmative preference since it is mostly minorities from the black community and a number of women who majorly benefit from this program. Another mistake made in the implementation of affirmative action is the universal enforcement of the program. True, there are a few pockets of racist individuals and groups here and there, but the whole nation is not as isolative as it was 20 to 50 years ago. Therefore, there is no need for a wide scale implementation of rules and regulations that all businesses, companies, institutions and organizations should develop a system of employing and admitting individuals based on sex or color to boost equality.