...American society and Economy – BMAN 20610 Has Affirmative Action had any positive results? Should the policy be abandoned? ‘Affirmative Action has had an indelible imprint on the university environment’ [1] With primary focus on the impact that affirmative action (AA) has had to African Americans in regard to College admission, this essay will seek to ascertain to what extent the policy has lead to positive results. While in addition, evaluating whether this policy is both a legitimate and a necessary feature within Universities in contemporary America, or should be abandoned. Following President Johnson signing into law, executive order 11246 in 1965, the concept of affirmative action was formed and subsequently integrated within the college admission process in the United States. The primary intention of the policy was to ‘redress the disadvantages associated with overt historical discrimination’. [2] While furthermore, seeking to ensure that institutions, such as Universities, were more ‘representative of the populations they serve’. [3] Since the implementation of the policy, throughout American University Campuses and the corridors of power in Washington, both debate and discourse has taken place in regard to the fairness and necessity of the practice of Affirmative Action within the College Admission process. As asserted by Garcia, those in favour of Affirmative action programs within Colleges viewed that the implementation of the policy was evidently ‘a...
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...I agree with the ASA’s conclusion that race must be considered in college admissions because race puts many obstacles in the path of success for minorities, a more diverse campus will help to end segregation and stigma while better preparing students for their field, and that Affirmative Action does not affect admissions as much as athletics and legacy do. As previously stated, race creates obstacles for minorities trying to achieve their goals. Just as it is more impressive for a flu ridden runner to win a race than a healthy one, it is more impressive for a disadvantaged minority to score highly on a standardized test than a privileged white child. Many critics of Affirmative Action argue that the real obstacle comes from the school attended...
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...of Texas at Austin has been using race as a factor for the admissions process and Fisher has come to believe it diminished her chances of going to the school. The Affirmative Action Act is used to eliminate discrimination due to race and other variables. By using race as a variable to be admitted into their University, Texas has committed an unconstitutional policy because it breaks the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Equal Protection Clause states equal privileges for all United States citizens. The affirmative action act is the policy designed to help eliminate discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in areas such as: businesses, education, and employment. Affirmative action was originally used to help the ongoing battle against racism towards African Americans. However, the term affirmative action was first used in President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Executive Order 10925 which required “federal contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that the employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” ” In 1967 Lyndon Johnson expanded his executive order 11246 (the equivalent of Kennedy’s executive order) to include affirmative action to benefit women (Sykes). Fisher vs. The University of Texas at Austin is a case that centers on colleges using race in their admission decisions. The plaintiff is Abigail Fisher from Sugar Land...
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...Is there such a thing as equality in education? Affirmative action is a federal agenda initiated in 1961 by President Kennedy to counteract discrimination and disadvantages faced by ethnic minorities, women, and other underrepresented groups. One of the most influential parts of this policy is its stance on college admissions. Essentially, affirmative action promotes taking into account race, income, gender, and geographical origin in determining the acceptance of a student into a university. Critics of this policy argue that it is reversely discriminatory towards advantaged students and it causes students to be placed in colleges not equal to their academic abilities. However, affirmative action is an effective and productive agenda because it promotes equality and diversity and it gives all students an opportunity that appropriately fits their backgrounds. Certainly, affirmative action has some drawbacks that hinder it from being wholly effective. One such argument critics make is that it can cause some students with preferable economic or ethnic backgrounds to be denied acceptance to colleges that they would have been accepted into otherwise. These students often grow resentful of the seemingly “discriminatory and unfair” system of affirmative action because it supposedly prevents them from becoming successful.(Is affirmative…) This resentment is evident in the Supreme Court trials of Grutter vs. Bollinger, Gratz vs. Bollinger, and Fisher vs. University of Texas. These cases...
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...Aguilar 1 Jonathan Aguilar Mr. Hoague AP Lit and Composition, Period 1 15 Dec. 2013 Future Career With so many different job options available to pursue in the land of opportunity called America, I never really knew what I wanted to be. At a young age, I knew that school was the key to college and being successful, but it never helped me discover what I really wanted to with my life. It wasn’t until my dad took in a long time friend of his to stay with us for a while that I knew what I wanted to pursue in the future. My dad’s friend, Marcelo, was an architect who worked for Westfield, which I instantly recognized as the designers of the mall I would always go to on the weekends. He gave me a tour of his office, and I was intrigued by the complex programs he used and the 3Dimensional models he had created of malls Westfield planned to build. I fell in love with the innovation and creativity that was involved with architecture and knew I wanted to be an engineer or architect in the future. However, there is a distinct difference between the two that I saw. Engineering is solving a problem by modifying an existing product or creating a new product never seen before, while Architecture is creating different versions of the same basic design. I wanted to create something never seen before so I leaned towards engineering. Therefore, I decided to take an introduction to engineering course my Freshman year of high school. The class taught me the basics about programs such as ...
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...185 years of denying equal social and economic opportunities to minorities and women, America’s leaders chose to act. The actions of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson brought forward a plan called affirmative action: to address the under-representation of qualified minorities and women in higher education and the workplace. With a foundation that contains discrimination in its core, affirmative action did not come without controversy. It has been the central topic of notable Supreme Court cases such as University of California Regents v. Bakke, Grutter v. Bollinger, and Fisher v. University of Texas. Many who oppose affirmative action argue that race-conscious programs lead to reverse discrimination and group preferences over individual merit. Through arguments, data and research, it will be shown that affirmative action is indeed an effective remedy for addressing racial inequality in higher education and other institutions. Without it in this current time, large negative effects would be felt throughout higher education and higher education. Affirmative action’s origins stem from an executive order that John F. Kennedy wrote in regards to the hiring practices of employers. It stated “...will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, or national origin. The Contractor will take affirmative action, to...
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...Affirmative Action, A Social Issue The black rights and women’s rights movements of the 1960’s fought against injustice and discrimination that had been suffered by minorities for years (Hudson). In response, President Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925 in 1961, creating a Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandating that projects financed by federal funding would “take affirmative action” to ensure that hiring and employment practices were free of racial bias (Hudson). Two more executive orders in 1965 and 1968 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and gender, giving the federal government the power to enforce this prohibition (Hudson). However, in current times, affirmative action programs have suffered setbacks. Affirmative action in education has been abolished in Texas by court order, and in California and Washington it has been terminated by public referendum (Bybee). Currently, the main question concerning affirmative action is whether or not it is the best way to combat inequality. Also: What groups should or should not have affirmative action? When will the problem be “solved” and affirmative action no longer necessary? While the United States is divided between 49% of citizens supporting affirmative action programs and 43% opposing them, many Americans have a difficult time even defining what affirmative action is (Gallup 2003). The term ‘affirmative action’ includes laws, policies, and programs designed to reduce...
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... MGMT 463-61 Prof. Palmiere Final Paper Affirmative Action: Exploring a Common Ground The term affirmative action was introduced by President Kennedy during the Cold War and around the Civil Rights Movement it was then expanded by President Johnson. Affirmative action programs were created in an attempt to make sure that all groups within a society are given the same opportunity to succeed in the workplace and higher education. It has always been a controversial topic because of the guidelines surrounding it and the alleged double standard it creates since it protects some groups and leaves others out of the “iron umbrella”. Usually Caucasian males are against the action and most of the time demand reform or abolition of such programs. And that is because Caucasian and Asian males are not protected under the act. Affirmative action is one of those programs I believe have a double standard and therefore I have decided to look at it from both perspectives giving it a glance from a compromising way from both opponents and advocates of the act. Over the years it has given people opportunities that otherwise would have not been possible for the person who is part of a minority group but it had also affected the other areas in our society. The issue I have with the act is that is been used as the solely deciding factor to give someone a chance. For example, an African America high school graduate should not be getting into college just for simple fact of being African American...
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...The Death of Equal Opportunity in Michigan? An Analysis of Michigan’s Proposal 2 7/20/2007 |Table of Contents | | | | | | | | | |Page | |I. |Nature and Background | | | |A. |Introduction…………………………………………………………. |3 | | |B. |Research Question………………………………………………….. |4 | | |C. |Hypotheses………………………………………………………….. |4 | | | | | | |II. |Methodology | | | |A. |Development of Survey…………………………………………….. ...
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...According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, affirmative action is defined as “an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women” (Miriam). Many people feel that affirmative action is necessary to either counteract injustices or ensure the advancement of certain minorities. There are four justifications generally pointed out by affirmative action exponents. These are racism, poverty, diversity, and the problem of underrepresentation. Supporters point out that many blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans live in substandard housing, go to substandard schools, and live in crime ridden neighborhoods. They also claim that they are targets of daily racism, hindering their chances for advancement. Proponents point to small numbers of these minorities in certain desirable jobs (i.e. CEOs of corporations and high elected office) as evidence of underrepresentation of minorities and a need for diversity both in the workplace and in higher education. There are a number of different levels of affirmative action, including quotas, preferences, and outreach, in lessening order of severity. Quotas, also called “set asides”, deal with having a definite amount of jobs or college spots reserved for a particular group. For example, if a university admits 1000 students every year and sets aside 150 seats that are open to blacks only, this is considered a quota. A perfect illustration of a quota would be the 1977 Supreme Court case...
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...Critique of ADA and Affirmative Action Diane Beleau Cultural Diversity and Special Populations/BSHS422 15 April 2013 Shonette “Shirley” Wilson In this paper I will discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was established to assist individuals with Disabilities from being discriminated against, and Affirmative Action, whose policies were implemented to have fair treatment of all races, color, religions, or national origins. The Stanford Encyclopaedia states, “Affirmative action” means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity—affirmative action generates intense controversy” (Fullinwider, 2011). In 1972, affirmative action became an inflammatory public issue. True enough, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already had made something called “affirmative action” a remedy federal courts could impose on violators of the Act. Likewise, after 1965 federal contractors had been subject to President Lyndon Johnson’s Executive Order 11246, requiring them to take “affirmative action” to make sure they were not discriminating. But what did this 1965 mandate amount to? The Executive Order assigned to the Secretary of Labor the job of specifying rules of implementation. In the meantime, as the federal courts were enforcing the Civil Rights Act against discriminating...
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...America, usually in places such as schools, work places, and even the military. Many Asian Americans were denied admission to Ivy League universities quite simply because they’re Asian. A high school student that has perfect SAT scores and eight advance placement classes should be able to go to any university he/she wishes to attend, right? That’s not the case for Asian Americans. Is it justifiable to approve admission to someone that has a lower SAT and is less worthy for the position just because they’re not Asian? Does it really matter what race one is, so long as they’re qualified and have met the requirements? There are quite a few cases that are in the process of going to court because of Ivy League schools denying admission to Asian American students that have perfect scores and grades. What is this phenomenon and why are the schools doing this? According to these Ivy League universities, they are trying to keep the schools diverse; they do not want to overflow their school with Asians. The schools’ argument was simply because of Affirmative Action, ‘“Affirmative action” means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity—affirmative action generates intense controversy.’...
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...Ricci v. DeStefano Jennifer Drab Baker College Abstract Ricci v. DeStefano is case based on reverse discrimination. The New Haven firefighters that brought this suit against the city did so on the belief that the city in its efforts to avoid litigation violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Reverse discrimination is a term that is used widely; however, it is very difficult to move forward with this claim in a court of law. The New Haven firefighters that brought the suit had their case heard before the Supreme Court of the United States. This was not a case that the justices took lightly; they asked many difficult questions, which looked at many different aspects of Title VII. The answer from the high court is that rejecting the test scores in fear of Title VII litigation is not grounds enough to disqualify candidates that qualified for promotion. In the end, the high court upheld the firefighters claim that the city’s rejection of the exam scores violated the rights of those that qualified based on the exam. Introduction Ricci v. DeStefano, is case of reverse discrimination within the fire department of New Haven, Connecticut. This case is an illustration that affirmative action does not always result in fairness. New Haven city officials created a very comprehensive written examination for testing those fire fighters that were looking to be promoted to captain and lieutenant (Epstein, 2009). Unfortunately, the examination showed that there was disparity...
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...there are no 'races', yet the social construction of race as a category is alive and well today. The classification system, which radicalized different groups - typifying them according to their skin color and/or other defining features has a long history. With the advent of colonialism, racism underpinned the different and negative valuations attached to skin color. The racism of today is much more subtle and is no longer the blatant discrimination based on the color or your skin. It exists within the institutions of our society. It is the combination of government, corporate and media institutional racism that is largely responsible for the inequities of today. Unfortunately, these divisions impact the way in which we live our life and how we advance socially. Race has always been a complicated subject and is inevitable. Although we have made tremendous strides to dismantle the foundations of racism, it is clear and evident that racism still persists within the institutions of our society. I believe that America is one of greatest countries on the earth and it is a land of opportunity for everyone. The American dream is alive and well and many people of all races have had tremendous success. With these positives in place, it is no wonder why there have been so many incredible achievements by African Americans in the 21st century to include the obvious - the first black president. Over the years there has been much success in trying to dismantle discrimination against...
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...Affirmative action is public policy, which has been discussed for the last 50 years, and in those 50 years no common consensus has been arrived at in the country. On one side of the issue we have those who believe affirmative actions is required to not only right the wrongs of the past generations but to also allow minorities to become more productive members of society that these people believe they would be otherwise. On the other side of the spectrum are those who believe there should be no affirmative action and instead everyone should be treated the same regardless of their race, color, sex or any other identifying features used in affirmative action. In full disclosure I tend to be of this second mind set myself, but I will do my best to present both sides of the issue without bias. The story of affirmative action while much older than 50 years in concept it was not until Executive order 10925 issued by John F. Kennedy on 6 March 1961 the debate truly started over the issue of affirmative action. Throughout the rest of the 60’s the three different Presidents worked to take the idea of JFK to the logical conclusion of truly instituting affirmative action. There were speeches given and executive orders signed all designed to further the idea of affirmative action. The largest single act taken at the time to further this cause was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act forbids the act of discrimination of any type based on race, color, religion or a person’s national...
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