Essay about Does Higher Education Need Affirmative Action

Does Higher Education Need Affirmative Action? Introduction 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, â€Å"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). The obvious differences in what America says and what America does,†¦show more content†¦These programs have also undergone a name change, and are now known as outreach programs, as opposed to being named affirmative action programs. These outreach programs are thought to â€Å"correct a historical injustice† (Dobbs). This social injustice dates back to the days of slavery and the Civil Rights Act. Many believe that minorities are still being discriminated against, and special outreach programs are needed to level the playing field. â€Å"Affirmative action ensures that African American students are allowed access to prestigious universities such as Harvard and Berkeley, which have long been gateways to positions of power and influence in American society† (Glazer 14). Many believe that minority students will not have access to higher education if affirmative action programs are not in place. For example, if admission to higher education institutions was solely based on the Scholastic Assessment Tests (SATs), minorities would be dramatically underrepresented (Glazer 17). In 2003, the average African American combined SAT score was 857, while the average Caucasian combined score was 1063 (Blum). It’s important to remember that many minority students do not have access to the same K-12 education as many Caucasian students do. Is it fair to punish the minority students for a below average high schoolShow MoreRelatedDoes Affirmative Action Make Moral Sense?1084 Words   |  5 PagesDoes affirmative action make moral sense? A moral being is one capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct, but a big question that follows concerns the idea if there even is such a thing as â€Å"right conduct.† â€Å"Whatever can be proved to be good, must be so by being shown to be a means to something admitted to be good† (Mill 6). In John Stuart Mill’s book, â€Å"Utilitarianism,† he states this notion where an individual assumes good things are good without knowing why they’re good. Defined fromRead MoreAffirmative Action Is The Current Method For Combating Systematic Racism1602 Words   |  7 PagesAffirmative action is the current method for combatting the systematic racism and general bigotry that has long plagued American society. It is a source of much debate, both from the legal and moral perspectives. When it comes to higher education, it has been the subject of serval Supreme court decisions and many philosophical papers. Affirmative action’s stance makes a statement about how American society intends to handle its problems of bigotry; if it wants to ignore them, or if it wants to chooseRead MoreAfrican Americans And The Civil War1309 Words   |  6 Pagesdating back even before the Civil War. One of the fruition of these attempts is Affirmative Action, which was initially enforced â€Å"to ensure equality in hiring† among minorities. Later, Affirmative Action was amended to include education under its protection. 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In the seventeenth and eighteenth century, African Americans were not equal since Americans called them property, put them in chains and beat those people. From the seventeen to the nineteen hundreds, women were forbidden to vote; they had to stay at home or work in small factory, thus, they were not equal. However, nowadays, issues of equality are challenged through affirmative action. Across theRead MoreAffermative Action1316 Words   |  6 PagesBy: Elissa Thomas E-mail: elissa@usais.net Affirmative Action Affirmative Action efforts were started in 1964 to end the long history of overlooking qualified people of color and women from higher education. Affirmative Action sets standards for a business or office of admissions, so that a white man does not have the upper-hand over an equally or greater educated minority. The initial way the government tried to justify Affirmative Action was to develop a human resource approach: first identifyingRead MoreAffirmative Action : African American And Hispanic870 Words   |  4 PagesRoberto Santiago’s essay Black and Latino reveals that even though he has been generally underrepresented by his ethnicity, he has led a successful life without affirmative action. Since Santiago was both African American and Hispanic he dealt with identity issues and stereotypes throughout his adolescent life. Even though affirmative action is supposed to make attempts to improve opportunities for groups that were historically excluded it is still a form of discrimination itself. The preference of