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Introduction to diversity in college
Introduction to diversity in college
Introduction to diversity in college
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David Leonhardt’s op-ed, “Make Colleges Diverse” (December 13,2016) enlightens the benefits of Michael Bloomberg’s American Talent Initiative, and how it will create diversity in the country’s top colleges. Leonhardt states how he has high hopes for this program, and he also mentions how a teenager, Jeffrey Valdespino Leal, made it to college because of the program. The purpose of Leonhardt’s op-ed is to persuade to the readers Bloomberg’s new idea, in which to add more diversity in colleges and universities, and in order to do that, colleges must admit more low-income students. He presents his opinion in a casual and formal way, that attracts the attention of seniors in high school that come from middle class and low-income families, and also
While first-generation college students are over half of all students in postsecondary education, exclusionary practices block their admittance into elite institutions. The outliers who receive admittance to the Ivory Tower may think they have made it—that their American Dream and long-held belief in the meritocratic ethos has finally paid off. Instead, they are confronted with educational stratification and social reproduction that was stacked against them long before they received the piece of parchment granting them access. The onerous task of navigating through unfamiliar academic and social situations often results in leaving. Can first-generation college students learn how to activate, manage, and accumulate social and cultural capital to navigate elite universities?
John Marsh, Ph.D., shares his epiphany, that his sharing the popular belief that higher education was the answer to bringing about economic equality and curing poverty, was in fact wrong; in this short selection, “Why Education Is Not an Economic Panacea”, taken from his book, “Class Dismissed: Why We Cannot Teach or Learn Our Way Out of Inequality”. Marsh had felt that gaining a higher education himself worked to bring him to a level of economic equality, so, it should work the same way for everyone else. His change of heart comes after perhaps stepping down from the pedestal that many, with lots of letters after their name, sit on, or are put upon by others, and witnessing first-hand the dismal rates of graduation of students in the single course he teaches for The Odyssey Program. Serving as good Public Relations for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the program’s purpose was two-fold; it was to provide, at no cost, college level course(s) for low-income adults and look good for the University. In this excerpt, Marsh’s narrow vision seems to have opened up somewhat, however, it does not demonstrate that his visual field widened enough to see that there is much, much more than simply economics or education that is at play in determining where people end up in the spectrum of being considered successful in the United States. (Marsh 914)
Clegg, expanding on the expense of discrimination towards scholars, displays how discrimination has a single benefit: diversity. Likewise, Abigail Fisher, plaintiff in the recent case Fisher v. University of Texas, has better grades than the average needed to gain admission for African-American and Hispanic students, yet was rejected from the University of Texas. Fisher, who is white, was forced to attend the l...
The right and privilege to higher education in today’s society teeters like the scales of justice. In reading Andrew Delbanco’s, “College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be, it is apparent that Delbanco believes that the main role of college is to accommodate that needs of all students in providing opportunities to discover individual passions and dreams while furthering and enhancing the economic strength of the nation. Additionally, Delbanco also views college as more than just a time to prepare for a job in the future but a way in which students and young adults can prepare for their future lives so they are meaningful and purposeful. Even more important is the role that college will play in helping and guiding students to learn how to accept alternate point of views and the importance that differing views play in a democratic society. With that said, the issue is not the importance that higher education plays in society, but exactly who should pay the costly price tag of higher education is a raging debate in all social classes, cultures, socioeconomic groups and races.
Education has always been a current issue due to the fact that it is seen as an economic cure-all. However, the perception of college is ill-conceived and there are multiple debates on how to improve it. College universities believe that having open admissions will increase the amount of matriculations, but the fact is the amount of students being enrolled into a four-year university has no relationship to the amount of students with academic aspirations. W.J. Reeves, an English professor at Brooklyn College of The City University of New York, gives a few examples of how open admissions has changed education methods and student abilities. Reeves wrote this opinion piece to convince everyone, especially parents, that schools are in need of reform
Racial diversity is a desired concept that intends to secure the right of equal opportunity that is promised to all citizens of the United States. Such an idealistic vision has been attempted through a process called affirmative action. As a program created from the 14th Amendment, affirmative action aims to impose “equal protection of the laws” by requiring schools to adopt a quota for the enrollment of minorities. This program is intended to compensate for the centuries of discrimination that minorities have faced, but affirmative action has became problematic as it has failed to do this. Affirmative action is not the solution to ensure equal opportunity for minorities to access higher education. Although affirmative action has increased diversity in selective schools, it defeats its purpose because the resulting diversity is not equal representation of the nation’s communities , the process has led to reverse discrimination, and the education standard has been lowered in the selective schools.
Affirmative action is needed to create diversity in America. Affirmative action allows people of different races and backgrounds to interact in the workplace and universities. During 1996, Neil Rudenstine, president of Harvard University, explained Harvard's commitment to diversity by using John Stuart Mill, who emphasized the value of people being in contact with people who are different from them (5). Justice Powell who stated "a diversity of opinions, experiences, backgrounds, talents, aspirations, and perspectives" helped college students to feel great intellectual exchange, exploration, and growth (5). With such great advantage to the students with colleges with great diversity the education system itself should have implemented a policy such as affirmative action. According to Patricia Gurin, a psychology professor at University of Michigan, students experience better learning in a diverse educational atmosphere and are more prepared to become active in our pluralistic, democratic society after they leave college (5). In America today, we are already have enough problems with people being apathetic and not involved in society. When students grow up in diverse schools, they can become active and help the democratic society. Affirm...
It’s no secret that “high priced real estate increases property taxes,” (Source G) and those taxes go on to fund public schools, bringing in more affluent families. Low-income students in these schools find themselves surrounded in an environment where “classmates expect them to go on to college,” (Source G) in turn making these students more academically engaged. In addition to the positive environment, low-income students who attend more affluent schools are given access to critical support when it comes to submitting applications to elite colleges. Unfortunately, the inverse of this is also true. Low-income students who attend poorly funded schools are not given the support they need to get themselves to a quality education. This is where the Dream fails, with “a whimper of elite school applications by poor kids.” (Source E) The reality of the situation is, Ivies and other top schools are the route to the top, and without proper support, low-income students have no chance getting there, all because of their zip code and the area in which they live not sufficiently funding public
When diversity is being discussed, there are a plethora of ideas that are associated with it. Whether people are talking being put on a waitlist for college, about people of color, or about representation in the media, the subject of diversity is not rare. Recently, the conversation of diversity has become more common because colleges want to demonstrate that they have diversified campus. How would diversity on campus be defined? Most importantly, diversity is more than having an extraordinary personality. Race, gender, sexuality, and social status are a few of the superfluous traits that make an individual unique in a college’s eyes. In Sophia Kerby’s article, “10 Reasons Why We Need Diversity on College Campuses”, she notes that, while there has already been an effort to diversify high schools and middle schools, accepting students of different backgrounds is not as apparent in higher education (1) . A university desires to diversify its campus in order to benefit the students that are attending the college. Students are not only likely to improve
Just as in matters of women’s rights, the plight of minorities in higher education is a matter which stems from lack of representation. On both high school and university campuses, minority teachers and proffers are scarce, and minority students make up a minute portion of colleges student bodies. This issue is perpetuated through state and federal laws, as well as the policies of universities, in a fashion highly reminiscent of De Jure segregation. For example, since California prohibited the consideration of race in the admissions process, the percent of minorities accepted into California colleges has dropped dramatically. This is an issue which impacts all, not just underrepresented individuals, as society becomes more globalized, diversity continues to grow in importance. Underrepresentation restricts all from being able to experience the true diversity of the world as creates an inaccurate portrait of society. Without adequate representation it is difficult for a groups issues to be addressed, which continues to leave behind groups that have already been disenfranchised for many years. Lack of representation leaves minority students isolated and i...
Diversity is a must have when it comes to colleges and universities. Diversity is what separates the good universities from the great universities. Universities that have diversity help out their students more than anyone could imagine. It help students get ready to open up and understand one another on a more personal level. Some students grow up in segregated towns where there is not much diversity, but with the help of diversity from colleges, students will learn to learn and accept one another. It would be fresh new start for all of the students to learn about each other and their similarities and differences. The information college students could learn from someone that is from another culture is a great prize and will be remembered for the rest of their lives. “Diversity will further strengthen the United States as new minds with new views are added to the society. This is true of the country’s universities and colleges, as well”(Milligan).
Affirmative action policies were created to help level the playing field in American society. Supporters claim that these plans eliminate economic and social disparities to minorities, yet in doing so, they’ve only created more inequalities. Whites and Asians in poverty receive little to none of the opportunities provided to minorities of the same economic background (Messerli). The burden of equity has been placed upon those who were not fortunate enough to meet a certain school’s idea of “diversity” (Andre, Velasquez, and Mazur). The sole reason for a college’s selectivity is to determine whether or not a student has the credentials to attend that school....
In order to be competitive in the higher education battleground, some academics believe that it’s essential that universities and colleges give minorities certain plus factors during the admission process. Many universities and colleges throughout the country believe that by instituting some form of affirmative action, the end result will be diversified campus demographics. The type of affirmative action each institution implements is different; however, each has the same goal of increasing minority admissions.
What is diversity? Diversity refers to the demographic variables such as race, gender, ethnicity, language, nationality, or social class. Diversity is the acceptance within these different cultures. Also, it is the understanding that each individual is unique and free to be whom they want to be. Several laws were passed in the 1960s and 1970s that are about education and how schools should represent equality. One of the laws passed was Title IX of the Education Amendments in 1972. This law states that there will be no discrimination against any student or employee in a school district. Also, another law that was passed was the Civil Rights Act in 1964, which states that there will be no discrimination in a job as well as education. There
The great equalizer in America is education, because it provides the surest path to opportunity and social mobility (Golston). Education should be a right not a privilege in order to make the American Dream achievable to all. We do not have a democracy of only the rich are educated. Allan Golston says, “Students deserve an education that will propel them to high school graduation — and success beyond.” Unfortunately, a child’s odds of receiving a great education too often come down to the income of the parents or the color of his or her