Does affirmative action help or hurt the overall goal of achieving racial equity on college campuses?
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases, one involving Harvard and the other the University of North Carolina, that could reshape college admissions. Both schools are being accused of race-based discrimination in their admission practices. In the coming year, the court will examine whether it’s lawful for college admissions offices to consider a student’s race. Are you planning to go to college? What criteria do you think colleges should use to admit applicants and why? Should colleges and universities consider race or ethnicity when making decisions about student admissions? Does affirmative action in higher education help or hurt the overall goal of achieving racial equity on college campuses, in your view? Do we still need affirmative action in higher education? Should colleges and universities consider race or ethnicity when making decisions about student admissions?
Did anything in the pieces above change your original thinking about this issue? Which arguments for or against affirmative action expressed in either the article or the podcast do you find most persuasive? Do you agree with Ms. Warikoo that affirmative action is needed to address the ways that “race plays a role in the opportunity structure” in our society? Or, are you more swayed by Mr. Rowe’s argument that while race-based affirmative action may have had a value in the past, we should “shift our focus now to economic disadvantage … if we want to create a more equitable society”?
How important an issue is affirmative action for you? Do you ever discuss the topic with friends or family? What is your reaction to the Harvard and North Carolina cases now before the Supreme Court? Edward Blum, whose group Students for Fair Admissions brought both of the affirmative action cases before the Supreme Court, said: “Every college applicant should be judged as a unique individual, not as some representative of a racial or ethnic group.” However, Damon Hewitt, the president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, counters that “race-conscious admissions policies are a critical tool that ensures students of color are not overlooked in a process that does not typically value their determination, accomplishments and immense talents.” Do you think race should ever be used as a consideration in admissions for college applications? What about in other facets of society like in workplace hiring, in government and elsewhere? What should be done about what some call “affirmative action” for rich white students like legacy admissions and geographic diversity? How can we make the college admissions process more fair or equitable? If you were the head of college admissions at a college or university, what criteria would you use for judging applicants? How do you think the Supreme Court will rule? What impact do you think these rulings will have on the future of affirmative action?
Did anything in the pieces above change your original thinking about this issue? Which arguments for or against affirmative action expressed in either the article or the podcast do you find most persuasive? Do you agree with Ms. Warikoo that affirmative action is needed to address the ways that “race plays a role in the opportunity structure” in our society? Or, are you more swayed by Mr. Rowe’s argument that while race-based affirmative action may have had a value in the past, we should “shift our focus now to economic disadvantage … if we want to create a more equitable society”?
How important an issue is affirmative action for you? Do you ever discuss the topic with friends or family? What is your reaction to the Harvard and North Carolina cases now before the Supreme Court? Edward Blum, whose group Students for Fair Admissions brought both of the affirmative action cases before the Supreme Court, said: “Every college applicant should be judged as a unique individual, not as some representative of a racial or ethnic group.” However, Damon Hewitt, the president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, counters that “race-conscious admissions policies are a critical tool that ensures students of color are not overlooked in a process that does not typically value their determination, accomplishments and immense talents.” Do you think race should ever be used as a consideration in admissions for college applications? What about in other facets of society like in workplace hiring, in government and elsewhere? What should be done about what some call “affirmative action” for rich white students like legacy admissions and geographic diversity? How can we make the college admissions process more fair or equitable? If you were the head of college admissions at a college or university, what criteria would you use for judging applicants? How do you think the Supreme Court will rule? What impact do you think these rulings will have on the future of affirmative action?
