Affirmative action in college admissions essay

Ontiveros1

Ontiveros2

Armand Ontiveros

Professor Murray

Expository Writing/ English 101

11/27/20

Is It Right For A College To Have Racial Quotas That Benefit Minorities?

(Background--Racial quotas refer to affirmative action programs that focus on increasing opportunities for minorities in the education systems. Historically, elite colleges in America were reserved for the wealthy class, mostly white Americans. Recently, during the 20th century, elite institutions started to actively participate in prioritizing diversity through expansion tools such as affirmative action. Such tools or programs aim at considering racial and ethnic diversity as part of evaluating college and university applications. Through programs like affirmative action, American institutions have promoted diversity and ensured that those shut down from the postsecondary systems get opportunities to pursue their higher education levels. Affirmative actions have led to the creation of racial quotas in colleges, thus, playing a great role in benefiting the minorities. In this paper, an argument on why it is right for colleges to have racial quotas to benefit minority students is provided. Provide a three-part thesis statement …It is right for predominately white colleges and universities to have affirmative actions programs based on race because Blacks and other minorities are underreprented, provide equal access for low-income students, and puts all on equal footing for admission.

1. Create greater diversity on predominately college campuses

2. Provide equal access to a quality education especially for low-income people….

3. Blacks and minorities underrepresented on Predominately white campuses

4. Equity –Give all students equal footing for admission.

Opposing view---Affirmative action – (Ward Connoly—anti-affirmative action for Black students and students in University of California system. State his position.

Rebuttal----Why opposing is wrong. (Use evidence from your research on this topic)

The US Supreme Court has upheld institutions from using race during college admissions. However, some groups and institutions have continually undermined college access to students of color and other minority groups. The Trump administration worked as an ally to the racial forces, leveraging the government's power towards affirmative action. For instance, after the Trump administration failed to demonstrate that affirmative action affected white students, they went ahead to develop a myth that to help minority students access education implies that qualified whites and Asian-Americans will be discriminated against. Such perpetuations result in ethnic differences and ignore the efforts of affirmative actions towards the alleviation of racial disparities in colleges. Such tactics have long been used by unfair systems, especially those attempting to divide communities of color and minorities (Wright et al. 5).

Regardless of such attempts to impede the national efforts towards progress in institutions, it is right for colleges to have racial quotas that benefit minorities since they create equity. Research studies and civil rights groups continuously defend the application of affirmative action in colleges. Educational institutional should practice racial-conscious admissions because they are ideal in fighting for racial equity (Yurk). Having racial quotas that benefit minorities in colleges is vital in the American educational system because, for a long time, minorities have been underrepresented during college admissions. Over the past few decades, enrollment and completion rates in colleges have been drastic; however, minority group students are continuously underrepresented in elite colleges. According to research, enrolment disparities among black students are registered at 45 out of 50 flagship state colleges or universities. That implies that the total percentage of black undergraduate students is lower than school graduate blacks. For instance, in 2015-2016, graduation in Mississippi, the blacks constituted 505 graduates; however, they were only represented by 12.9% of undergraduates in Mississippi.

Having racial quotas that benefit minorities in colleges is a step towards equity in college admissions. Through affirmative action, the historically excluded minority groups have had a chance to attend college. The American education system is known for systematic barriers, especially for students of color among other minority groups. Research studies from Brazilian education system indicate that the affirmative action will erase American education system’s exclusion, segregation, limited resources towards the minority groups, and underfunding (Schwartzman, et al 550.). That is why students of color face worse sides of success indicators used in evaluating college admissions. Hence, the minority students, including students of color, fail to access the topmost public and private colleges during admissions. Racial quotas that help minority students are vital in providing a remedy for such inequity issues. According to affirmative action, college administrations take time to evaluate the nontraditional factors that can help students succeed in their education.

Wealthier students, who are mostly white students, are better placed because one or both their parents might have had a chance to attend college and benefit from legacy preference during admission. Such students can attend K-12 schools that offer them a variety of opportunities for college preparation. This makes them competitive for top-tier colleges; therefore, if such colleges, through affirmative action, have racial quotas to benefit minorities, the minority students will receive a fair and comprehensive consideration that will avoid being overlooked due to their race during admission (Ellison and Pathak).

The opposition side against colleges having racial quotas that benefit the minorities cites the Supreme Court's affirmative that colleges should practice affirmative action through a narrowed focus. According to the court, racial quotas should be banned since schools can take race as a factor in assembling students' diversity but not providing opportunities for marginalized populations. Such remarks are not ideal because they promote racial inequity, segregation, and exclusion in colleges. Suppose minority students are admitted to colleges with racial quotas. In that case, they work hard to complete their college education as much as the white students do regardless of their social classes or level of income (Pulley).

You need to have a rebuttal to the opposing view—using evidence.

In conclusion, for many decades, colleges have barred minority students from admissions. That is why they are underrepresented in top colleges in America. Having racial quotas that benefit minorities crucially combats discrimination and inequities in colleges. Such quotas help in providing opportunities to minority students who have been shut out from educational systems because of their race.

Work Cited

Ellison, Glenn, and Parag A. Pathak. The Efficiency of Race-Neutral Alternatives to Race-Based Affirmative Action: Evidence from Chicago's Exam Schools. No. w22589. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2016.

Schwartzman, Luisa Farah, and Angela Randolpho Paiva. "Not just racial quotas: Affirmative action in Brazilian higher education 10 years later." British Journal of Sociology of Education 37.4 (2016): 548-566.

Wright, Dwayne Kwaysee, and Liliana M. Garces. "Understanding the controversy around race-based affirmative action in American higher education." Controversies on campus: Debating the issues confronting American universities in the 21st century (2018): 3-21.

Yurk, Caleb. "Affirmative Action in Education: Justice Evaluated." (2020).

Pulley, Tonya Michelle. Affirmative action, higher education, and human rights: a comparison between supreme court rulings in the United States and Brazil. Diss. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2020.

Ontiveros1

Armand Ontiveros

Professor Murray

Expository Writing/ English 101

11/27/20

Is It Right For A College To Have Racial Quotas That Benefit Minorities?

(Backgrou

nd

--

Racial quotas refer

to affirmative action

programs that focus

on increasing

opportunities for minorities in the education systems.

Historically, elite colleges in America were

reserved for the wealthy class, mostly white Americans.

Recently, during the 20

th

century, elite

institutions started to actively participate

in prioritizing diversity through expansion tools such as

affirmative action. Such tools or programs aim at considering racial and ethnic diversity as part

of evaluating college and university applications.

Through programs like affirmative action,

Americ

an institutions have promoted diversity and ensured that those shut down from the

postsecondary systems get opportunities to pursue their higher education levels. Affirmative

actions have led to the creation of racial quotas in colleges, thus, playing a gr

eat role in

benefiting the minorities

.

In this paper, an argument on why it is right for colleges to have

racial

quotas

to benefit minority students is provided.

Provide a three

-

part thesis

statement

…

It is right for

predominately

white

colleg

es and

universities

to have affirmative

actions

program

s based on race because Blacks and other minorities are underreprented, provide

equal access for low

-

in

come students, and puts all on

equal footin

g

for admission.

1.

C

reate greater diversity on

predominately

college campuses

2.

Provide equal access to a quality educatio

n especially for low

-

income

people

…

.

3.

Blacks and

minorities underrepresented on Predominately

white

campuses

4.

E

quity

–

Giv

e

all students equal footing for

admission

.

Ontiveros1

Armand Ontiveros

Professor Murray

Expository Writing/ English 101

11/27/20

Is It Right For A College To Have Racial Quotas That Benefit Minorities?

(Background--Racial quotas refer to affirmative action programs that focus on increasing

opportunities for minorities in the education systems. Historically, elite colleges in America were

reserved for the wealthy class, mostly white Americans. Recently, during the 20

th

century, elite

institutions started to actively participate in prioritizing diversity through expansion tools such as

affirmative action. Such tools or programs aim at considering racial and ethnic diversity as part

of evaluating college and university applications. Through programs like affirmative action,

American institutions have promoted diversity and ensured that those shut down from the

postsecondary systems get opportunities to pursue their higher education levels. Affirmative

actions have led to the creation of racial quotas in colleges, thus, playing a great role in

benefiting the minorities. In this paper, an argument on why it is right for colleges to have

racial quotas to benefit minority students is provided. Provide a three-part thesis statement

…It is right for predominately white colleges and universities to have affirmative actions

programs based on race because Blacks and other minorities are underreprented, provide

equal access for low-income students, and puts all on equal footing for admission.

1. Create greater diversity on predominately college campuses

2. Provide equal access to a quality education especially for low-income people….

3. Blacks and minorities underrepresented on Predominately white campuses

4. Equity –Give all students equal footing for admission.