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Affirmative action is a topic of great debate in our country today. It has become so politized that
you can barely have a discussion on this topic without people closing off their mind and getting
offended. In this paper, we are going to look at various points of view of this controversial topic.
And try to see some valid points from those that are for and against affirmative action. Analyze
what parts of this bill are working and what parts are hurting students. And see what can be
improved and what needs to stay to protect and help future generations.
Article #1 – Journal of Higher Education Policy and Leadership Studies
This journal article, published in 2023, is a strong supporter of the good that affirmative action
does for minorities. The article states how it is important that given the United States history, that
universities should use Affirmative Action as a way of making up for past atrocities. But there
was some controversy surrounding Affirmative Action at this time. People were accursing
universities of trying to fill quotas instead of minority students. And there were also accusations
from non-minority students claiming that they were denied admissions because this quota had to
be filled. Eventually, thanks to the Supreme Court ruling in 1978, certain rules were established.
“First, it established that colleges and universities may not adopt quotas to reserve spaces for
specific interest groups in entering classes. Second, it established a precedent for higher
education institutions to pursue racial diversity as a goal. Third, colleges were permitted to
consider race as an admissions consideration, but it could not be the exclusive factor.” (Ford &
Wallace, 2023, p. 12). A lot of the controversy stems from the fact that race is used as a form
of admission criteria. This leaves a lot of students thinking that they were turned away because
they did not check a box that the school needed. Or on the other side, it could also leave some
minority students feeling like they did not get accepted based on their skill and knowledge, but
because they checked this box. This article states very clearly that they believe that Affirmative
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Action does more good than harm, and that banning it would be detrimental to the well being of
minority students nationwide.
Article #2 – Advantages and Disadvantages if Affirmative Action Policies on Education and
Admissions
This article analyzed the impacts affirmative action has on education and on admissions rates. It
points out the disparity among Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and how students who meet
the admission standards are being rejected because of policies favoring affirmative action. While
it is a positive aspect to have a diverse student body, it should not come at the cost of admission
based on merit. Another negative aspect is the decline of quality of the United States education
system. “Affirmative action-induced low grades remain to be a problem in US education. More
than half of African American law students, many of whom had been admitted according to
affirmative action policies, ranked in the bottom 10 percent of their class. The dropout rate
among African American students was more than twice that of their white peers, at 19.3% versus
8.2% respectively.” (Ahmed, Foon, Lam, & Winter, 2023, p. 10). And even with affirmative
action, there are still issues of inequality. If this policy was intended to help people, it should be
based on those that are at a disadvantaged state in life, not based on race.
Article #3 – Affirmative Action and Its Mythology
This article gave some pros and cons about affirmative action and comes from a neutral,
economic perspective. When posed with the question, can affirmative action work without trying
to meet quotas, the author, Ronald Fryer said: “Both of these arguments avoid the hard truth that
targeted outreach will generally lead to an equilibrium in which the targeted applicants of a given
skill level enjoy wider job options, more bargaining power and, consequently, greater
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remuneration than comparable non-targeted applicants.” (Jr., p. 5). This poses a real danger of
universities accepting students to check that quota box, instead based on skills and knowledge.
Another concern is that this policy will minimize student’s efforts because they will think that the
efforts and skills do not matter. Also there tends to be this erroneous belief that some white
students believe they were rejected so that a preferred affirmative action student could be
accepted. “According to our calculations based on data from the 2000 General Social Survey
(GSS), 40 percent of whites over the age of 18 believe it likely that they or someone they know
were rejected from a college due to an unqualified black applicant being admitted. Yet Kane
(1998) has shown that racial preferences in admissions are given only at the most elite 20 percent
of colleges and universities and, even at these colleges, the impact of racial preferences on the
typical white applicant’s admission probability is small.” (Jr., p. 19). This can cause unjustified
resentment as these students believe they were unfairly rejected.
Discussion
While affirmative action was put into place to help disadvantaged students have a fair chance of
attending universities, it is a flawed system. It accepts students who normally would not qualify
and sets them up for a hard road. They may not be as academically ready as their peers and feel
unprepared for this level of coursework. This can lead to diminished self-confidence and drive.
There is also the fact that some students who were accepted and are minorities might feel like
they were accepted based on race, and not based on their hard work and merit. This can
negatively affect their self-esteem and make them question their skills. This is an unfair burden
that is placed on these students. Colossians 3:23 states: “Whatever you do, work at it with all
your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (English Standard Bible, 2010,
Colossians 3:23). I believe that the Lord instructs us to work hard and that we will be rewarded.
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Opportunities will present themselves when we do this. We cannot just sit around and wait for
things to be handed to us. There are numerous verses in Proverbs that tell us not to be lazy. To
get out there and work for our rewards. It is everyone’s right to pursue a higher education, but
you must work hard and apply yourself. Diversity is something to be celebrated, not something
that should be used to pit people against one another. The Bible says, “From one man he made all
the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth.” (The Englsih Standard Bible, 2010, p.
Acts 17:26). We are instructed to love one another, help each other, and not let small differences
tear us apart. We should be learning from each other and growing together in His word.
References
Ahmed, Z., Foon, H., Lam, Y., & Winter, S. (2023). Advantages and Disadvantgaes of
Affirmative Action Policies on Education and Admissions Rate in the UK and
US. Ox Journal , 1-12.
Ford, J. R., & Wallace, J. K. (2023). Race Based Admissions and Affirmative Action:
Revisiting HIstorical Implications on Black Students in Higher Education .
Journal of Higher Education Policy and Leadership Studies, 46-62.
Gururaj, S., Somers, P., & Fry, J. (2021). Affirmative action policy: Inclusion,
exclusion, and the global public good. Policy Futures in Education , 63-83.
Jr., R. G. (n.d.). Affirmative Action and Its Mythology. Harvard University, 1-26.
The Englsih Standard Bible. (2010).
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