Affirmative Actions Have Consequences Essay example

Abigail Fisher, a white woman, has been the subject of many news stories lately. In a case brought to the Supreme Court in October of last year, Fisher claims to have suffered unfair treatment from the University of Texas. After being denied acceptance, presumably because of her racial aspects, Fisher decided to take her case to a higher power. In a story covering the initial hearing, a reporter describes the scene. Fisher’s lawyer argued against affirmative action on the grounds of unfair treatment. Some sided with Abigail, but all those who opposed her case said nothing about affirmative action as a means to increase fairness; their only claims stressed the importance of diversity in a university setting (Leonhardt 1). The Supreme Court†¦show more content†¦Affirmative action, while useful fifty years ago, now creates more disadvantages than advantages and should be discontinued. Granted, the policy does have its merits, and it could help those who are disadvantaged get a leg up, but we can find better alternatives and figure out solutions that work in today’s day and age. Affirmative action does not work in today’s generation as it should and, therefore, should be replaced with other solutions like applications that do not require the listing of race or sex of any kind so as not to discriminate against anyone or specialized programs for minority groups. Society cannot truly be color blind until we stop factoring in race as criteria to base decisions that affect peoples’ futures on. The use of affirmative action in the process of college admissions, while subject to variability, is still the equivalent to adding 150 to 310 points on the SAT scores of those who fall into minority groups (â€Å"11† 1). This advantage would be enough to raise a student’s score from the fiftieth percentile into around the seventieth percentile. This is also the equivalent of adding a whole other test section that only counts in favor of the scores of those who receive it. If everyone does not get this courtesy extended to them, why is it viewed as fair to some? It has also been observed that through these actions, those less-qualified have struggled when put in more prestigious schools because they have beaten out moreShow MoreRelatedAffirmative Action For College Admissions990 Words   |  4 Pages Affirmative action in college admissions continues to be heatedly debated. In 2003, the Supreme Court had ruled in Grutter v. Bollinger that diversity was a compelling interest for colleges to use race in admissions. In the amicus brief that the American Sociological Association et al. provided to the Supreme Court, sociological evidence was presented to elucidate the value of affirmative action. Yet in 2006, Proposal 2 was passed in Michigan to ban affirmative action in public education (Levitsky)Read MoreEssay on Affirmative Action Policies912 Words   |  4 Pagesresources department has been discussing th e importance of implementing an affirmative action policy to assist in assuring that the company complies with equal employment opportunity laws. The department has decided that the best action is to contact the members of the board of directors. The Federal Government has passed several laws to prevent employment discrimination, and not complying with these laws can cause serious consequences. The purpose of equal employment opportunity laws are to assist in allowingRead MoreAffirmative Action in the Public and Private Sectors Essay1158 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PAPER Affirmative Action in the Private and Public Sector University of Phoenix Employment Law HRM/ 434 CWH09HRM06 Mr. Jemal K. 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Affirmative action means taking positive steps to end discrimination, to prevent its recurrence, and to creative new opportunities that were previously denied minorities and women. Affirmative action itself has been defined as any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory