Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Affirmative action has been a controversial topic ever since it was established in the 1960s to right past wrongs against minority groups, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and women. The goal of affirmative action is to integrate minorities into public institutions, like universities, who have historically been discriminated against in such environments. Proponents claim that it is necessary in order to give minorities representation in these institutions, while opponents say that it is reverse discrimination. Newsweek has a story on this same debate which has hit the nation spotlight once more with a case being brought against the University of Michigan by some white students who claimed that the University’s admissions policies accepted minority students over them, even though they had better grades than the minority students. William Symonds of Business Week, however, thinks that it does not really matter. He claims that minority status is more or less irrelevant in college admissions and that class is the determining factor.

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, affirmative action is “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women.” However, despite its well-intentioned policies, it has been the source of much controversy over the years. Barbara Scott and Mary Ann Schwartz mention that “proponents of affirmative action argue that given that racism and discrimination are systemic problems, their solutions require institutional remedies such as those offered by affirmative action legislation” (298). Also, even though racism is no longer direct, indirect forms still exist in society and affirmative action helps direct. On the other hand, opponents to affirm...

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...ith the ability to work their way up the social ladder, and bringing in revenue for local and nation governments. The students at the University of Michigan may or may not have a case against affirmative action that it is based on race, but the real problem with affirmative action is that it is not based on socioeconomic status.

Works Cited

"Affirmative Action." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 21 Apr, 2003

Rosenberg, Debra. “Michigan’s Day in Court.” Newsweek. 14 Apr, 2003. MSNBC Online. 20 Apr, 2003

Scott, Barbara Marlene, and Mary Ann Schwartz. 2000. Sociology: Making Sense of the Social World. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Symonds, William C. “College Admissions: The Real Barrier Is Class.” Business Week 4 Apr, 2003: 66-67.