Affirmative Action.....Necessary? or Impossible?
About 20-30 years ago, being African-American could get a person into just about any public University without an outstanding G.P.A. Simply meeting registration requirements was enough because diversity was seen as a necessity in colleges.
Around the 1990's universities began to slow down and took a more passive stand on affirmative-action policies. Eventually California voters passed the California Civil Rights Initiative, also known as Proposition 209. This meant that race could no longer be a factor in accepting applicants to public universities. As a result the number of black students accepted into certain universities dropped immensely.
A man named Peter Taylor, a former U.C.L.A. graduate has spear-headed an organization to get black students into colleges like Berkeley and U.C.L.A. His group of students, teachers, alumni, and activists have been working for about a year and have seen a little success.
Proposition 209 has created a patently impossible situation. Due to the fact that the California's 'better' High schools offer A.P and Honor classes kids getting accepted to colleges such as Berkeley have an average G.P.A of 4.2. In largely black schools, or city schools it is almost impossible to reach a 4.0 due to the fact that no higher level courses are being taught.
“Ability is stretched or stunted by the family that you live with and the neighborhood you live in — by the school you go to and the poverty or the richness of your surroundings. It is the product of a hundred unseen forces playing upon the little infant, the child and, finally, the man.” -Lyndon Johnson
This is just the tip to a long debated issue. I feel that affirmative action is necessary if we are to give people equal chances to higher education or even as far as job security. Click on the link below to read the full article and get a little more insight.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/magazine/30affirmative-t.html?ref=education
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4 comments:
Matt I must say you made some great ponints here. At first, I was going to argue your point with the classic argument about how everybody is equal and somebody should not be accepted because of race. Yet, I was oblivious to the fact that many black high schools do not have chances for higher level learning. Although I still don't agree with all affirmative action policies, I agree that not having the chances to raise one's GPA is completely unfair and that problem needs to be addressed. Student's at Chaminade who get accepted into these elite schools would have a much smaller chance without all the AP's and honors classes offered.
Hello Matt,
i think that your blog actually changed my perception of affirmative action. That point you made about the honors classes creating a higher GPA standard helped and the lack of these types of classes in predominatley black schools made it obvious that help is needed.
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Greetings Mattias. I agree that equality among races, especially in regards to higher education, is critical to the progress of American and its society. I think it's important for people to grow aware that certain predominantly black schools do not offer courses that even give their students an opportunity to take honors or AP classes and thus, boost their GPA. Equality is an American value, and we should strive for it.
like craig said, i think this blog changed my mind about affirmative action. i never really realized that other schools may not have as many AP and honors classes as does, say chaminade. affirmaitve action ensures equality and diversity in colleges, which is something that is needed.
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