Affirmitive Action In Universities

Affirmative Action in Universities

In the 1960's Affirmative Action began in response to the Civil Rights Movement. It was an attempt to accompany the new legal equality gained for minorities with social and economic equality. Affirmative Action is the practice, usually by institutions, of giving preference to racial minorities or women when hiring employees, giving awards, or deciding whom to admit (soyouwanna.com). This policy was implemented to help correct the disadvantages that some people faced because of their race or gender. In the United States, affirmative action programs at universities usually benefit mostly black African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans (wikipedia.org). Affirmative Action should be permitted in decision making process used by universities for admissions.

At first, institutions of learning used quotas as an affirmative action tool. A certain number or a percentage of minority or female students would be given preference for admissions over their white-male counterparts. In June of 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race can be used as a factor during admission decisions. However, this does not imply that colleges have been given an open hand to punish or reward candidates simply on the bases of race. The Court has allowed some forms of affirmative action but has rejected simplistic race-based admissions formulas or quotas (collegeapps.about.com).

Many people from disadvantaged backgrounds have found it very hard to further their education after high school. Students from families where few people have pursued higher education are less likely to excel in high school; children who come from communities where English is not regularly spoken face a large disadvantage in reading and writing; and students from school districts with lower funding tend to perform poorly on standardized tests (soyouwanna.com). Schools with more money tend to be of white race. The more money they have, the more advantages they get which is beneficial to a better education. Those living in poor school districts have not had the same benefits as those is schools and areas that are more moneyed. Poor school districts often use out-of-date text books, have old computers or none at all, have third-rate libraries, and often have staffs who are not completely dedicated to ensuring the highest quality education for their students. Many of these schools have lost funding for art, music, theater and after school programs; all of which contribute to a better learning environment. When compared with affluent schools with brand new computer systems, high speed internet access, new text books, well-stocked libraries, and enough money to shop for the best teachers, the students from poor schools clearly have learning disadvantages. If it happened you were born into a family like this, you are more likely to get better grades. Your status should not decide whether you go to college or not. Affirmative action does not make it easy for students from a disadvantaged background to get into college, it merely makes up for some of the difficulties.

Poor school districts tend to be in areas with larger African American and Latino populations than their affluent counterparts. This means that a disproportionate amount of minority students do not receive as good an education as their white peers. Affirmative action is essential in helping to allow more students of color receive the college education they desire. Because colleges have only so many openings for new