Critical Thinking Paper: The Necessity of Affirmative Action

Ariana Villa

May 2019

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 The recognition of inequitable opportunities in education is an issue that often leaves

minorities receiving the short end of the stick. In order to resolve this issue, the United States

implemented affirmative action in order to provide minorities with more opportunities in

institutions and the workplace. ​The Trump administration announced they are “abandoning

Obama administration policies that called on universities to consider race as a factor in

diversifying their campuses…” (nytimes.com). While the concept of affirmative action can be

misinterpreted by many, it is a beneficial platform that has been assisting minority students in

their educational needs for many decades. ​The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights

should continue to set policy of the ​Equal Protection Clause​ of the Fourteenth Amendment, as it

promotes diversity, grants opportunities, and increases participation of minority students.

First introduced to the public in 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued an executive

order that’s purpose is “​to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated

during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." (ncsl.org)

Affirmative action was first introduced in order to address racial exclusions and inequalities of

people of color. In order to comply, universities used to have strict quotas on the number of

minorities to be enrolled. For instance, there was a highly profiled case in the 70s regarding the

University of California, Davis, and their methods of enrollment. Prior to any controversies, the

school set aside 16 seats out of 100 for minority students in their highly selective medical school,

with the intention of combatting any previous racial discrepancies. After being denied twice,

Allan Bakke sued the school and argued that his scores were higher than several minorities in the

class. This would later lead to the Regents of the Univ. of Cal. v. Bakke case, in which The

Supreme Court sided with Bakke, and he was allowed admission into the school (UCDavis.edu).
After the emergence of this case, affirmative action has been highly scrutinized by the public -

yet, many disregard the benefits the policy provides minority students.

A primary reason for the necessity of affirmative action is that it encourages diversity far

beyond any other nationally issued order. “Diversity is also crucial for addressing race relations

and increasing the variety of rich educational experiences.” (World Education Blog). The

diversity that is produced from affirmative action provides university students with a cultural

exchange they wouldn’t be able to experience otherw​ise. The lack of diversity thereof can

subsequently affect one's education in college. “...underrepresentation of minority groups pose

significant obstacles to effective education of both minority and non-minority groups,"

(American Psychological Association). While self segregation remains a threat to diversifying a

class, schools such as UIUC plan to overcome this issue by implementing speech classes,

building multicultural centers, ethnic study programs, and more (The Atlantic).

Although affirmative action has improved the concept of diversity in higher education by

allowing for the inclusion of more students, it’s work is still not done. Flaws remain in the

system, and to rid of affirmative action would take the country several steps back of decades

long work. A study conducted by Social Science Quarterly in 2005 found that “without

affirmative action, the acceptance rate for African-American candidates at elite colleges would

be likely to fall by nearly two-thirds, from 33.7 percent to 12.2 percent, while the acceptance rate

for Hispanic applicants probably would be cut in half, from 26.8 percent to 12.9 percent.” (Social

Science Quarterly). Universities need diversity, not to fill quotas, but instead to give students a

perspective that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

 Another reason why affirmative action must remain active is that it provides

opportunities for millions of students that wouldn’t have the chance to enroll in universities

without it. A study from the US Department of Education shows that “between 2000 and 2015,

the college-going rate among Hispanic high school graduates grew from 22 to 37 percent”

(pbs.org). While the college going rate for Hispanic students is still low, it is a good sign to see

the percentage slowly raise as each year passes. As affirmative action becomes more and more

widespread, minority students are taking advantage of the opportunities at hand; hence,

explaining the gradual increase of enrolled students each year. Many of the African American

and Latino students benefiting from affirmative action enter university economically and socially

disadvantaged compared to their Asian and Caucasian counterparts - without the executive order,

it is likely these students wouldn’t be accepted into schools otherwise. A report conducted by

FiveThirtyEight ​found that in “states where race-based affirmative action has been banned, black

and Hispanic enrollment has suffered.” More than just acceptances, though, affirmative action

benefits its users in various ways. As the National Conference of State Legislatures points out,

“Institutions often offer financial aid to underrepresented students and provide on-campus

support programs to improve their academic success.” (ncsl.org). Without the use of affirmative

action, students would be left with minimal options in terms of assistance in higher education.

The final leading reason as to why affirmative action is so vital is that it leads to an

increasement in participation of minority university students. While, yes, the statistics of those

admitted in universities matter a great deal, the number of students who actually apply to schools

matter, too. Minorities who apply to higher education symbolize the increased importance of

education in their households. Previously, other factors such as work and family were prioritized
over education, but it seems as if this is changing. “Affirmative action programs have resulted in

doubling or tripling the number of minority applications to colleges or universities” (ncsl.org).

Over the years, the number of minority student applicants has increased, leading to more

representation of African American and Hispanic students enrolled in college (not by much, but

still a notable amount). “Since 1994, black enrollment has doubled at institutions that primarily

grant associate degrees…” (theatlantic.com). In response to more people actually attending

university, graduation rates have greatly increased; more students are applying, and more

students are graduating. “...77 percent raised graduation rates for underrepresented minority

students, including African-American, Hispanic and Native American students.”

(marketwatch.com). In an effort to further explain affirmative action, Harvard’s Graduate School

reported that “​Black students who probably benefited from affirmative action — because their

achievement data is lower than the average student at their colleges — do better in the long-run

than their peers who went to lower-status universities and probably did ​not b​ enefit from

affirmative action.”​Affirmative action plays a large role in the increase of student participation in

higher education, thus leading to student success in the future.

A reoccuring point that critics of affirmative action tend to point out is that the executive

order does not cover all minorities - those left out being Asian students. In the Harvard Trial,

Asian American applicants of the prestigious university claim that they are not being protected

under affirmative action, and instead are being held at a higher standard than other applicants.

The plaintiff of the case argued that having race blind applications will still make for a diverse

class; however, representatives from Harvard insist “doing that would lead to an unacceptable

drop in the academic quality of an incoming class.” (npr.org). Statistics already prove that
without affirmative action, the number of African American and Hispanic students in universities

would drop, leading to a less diverse class. “After California abolished its affirmative action

programs in 1998, the minority student admissions at UC Berkeley fell 61 percent, and minority

admissions at UCLA fell 36 percent.” (ncsl.org). For a top school like Harvard, low diversity

would likely impact the school negatively. Harvard noted on their website, “Harvard College is

committed to expanding opportunity, to excellence, and to creating the diverse community

essential to fulfilling its mission of educating engaged citizens and leaders. Harvard’s admissions

policies do not discriminate against any applicant from any group.” (harvard.edu). In order to

achieve a diverse class in higher education, having affirmative action is essential. While race is

no longer a pivotal role in applications, it should still remain present as away to monitor and

ensure that the incoming class is one filled with people from all over.

Affirmative action is an extremely beneficial part of the college admissions process, and

must continue to be implemented in colleges and universities around the country. It strengthens

diversity among students, grants countless opportunities to those who are disadvantaged, and

encourages minority students to participate more in relation to college. It allows students and

teachers to interact with those different from them and accepts applicants in a fair and logical

process. These reasons and more suggest why The Education Department's Office for Civil

Rights must keep affirmative action programs running.

 Works Cited

National Conference of State Legislatures​. 7 Feb. 2014,

www.ncsl.org/research/education/affirmative-action-overview.aspx. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

Green, Erica L. "Trump Officials Reverse Obama's Policy on Affirmative Action in Schools."

New York Times

Gem Report. "Everyone Benefits from Diversity on Campus - Why the Problem with

Affirmative Action." ​World Education Blog​, 6 July 2018, gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2018/07/06/

everyone-benefits-from-diversity-on-campus-why-the-problem-with-affirmative-action/.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

Amano, Noriko. "What Are the Effects of Affirmative Action Regulation on Workers' Careers?" ​Yale

Institution for Social and Policy Studies​, 12 Jan. 2017, isps.yale.edu/news/blog/2017/01/

What-are-the-effects-of-affirmative-action-regulation-on-workers'-careers, Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

Webster, Emma. "Affirmative Action: What It Is and How It Works." ​Teen Vogue,​ 14

Aug. 2017, www.teenvogue.com/story/what-is-affirmative-action-explainer.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

Jung, Carrie. "Harvard Discrimination Trial Ends, but Lawsuit Is Far from over." ​NPR

2 Nov. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/11/02/660734399/

harvard-discrimination-trial-is-ending-but-lawsuit-is-far-from-over.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

Newkirk II, Vann R. "The Myth of Reverse Racism." ​The Atlantic​, 5 Aug. 2017,

www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/08/myth-of-reverse-racism/535689/.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

Harvard Admissions Lawsuit.​ admissionscase.harvard.edu/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

Annotated Bibliography

United States, Executive Office of the President [John F. Kennedy]. Executive

Order 10925. ​Code of Federal Regulations,​ vol. 3. ​U.S. Equal Employment

​Opportunity Commission,​ www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/thelaw/

eo-10925.html. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019. An essential part of writing my

argument must begin with John F Kennedy's executive order which began

affirmative action, and stands as the basis of my writing.

Yang, John. "Affirmative Action Benefits Everyone — Including Asian

Americans." ​HuffPost​, 14 May 2018, www.huffpost.com/entry/

opinion-young-asian-american-affirmative-action_n_5af5e145e4b0e57cd9f951c4.
 Accessed 31 Mar. 2019. This webpage provided me a lot of background

knowledge that would be helpful in knowing prior to actually writing the

paper.

Amano, Noriko. "What Are the Effects of Affirmative Action Regulation on

Workers' Careers?" ​Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies,​ 12 Jan.

2017, isps.yale.edu/news/blog/2017/01/

what-are-the-effects-of-affirmative-action-regulation-on-workers'-careers.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2019. This source contains much information on the effects

of affirmative action on minorities after higher education, which provided

many helpful points to add in my paper.

Gem Report. "Everyone Benefits from Diversity on Campus - Why the Problem with

Affirmative Action." ​World Education Blog​, 6 July 2018,

gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2018/07/06/

everyone-benefits-from-diversity-on-campus-why-the-problem-with-affirmative-actio

n/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019. This site gives a lot of information about why

diversity in schools is important, relating it back to affirmative action;

it was very helpful in research about diversity in relation to positive

outcomes.

Green, Erica L. "Trump Officials Reverse Obama's Policy on Affirmative Action in

Schools." ​New York Times,​ 3 July 2018. ​New York Times,​ www.nytimes.com/2018/

07/03/us/politics/trump-affirmative-action-race-schools.html. Accessed 31

Mar. 2019. This source provides an insight on affirmative action today and

provides background information on it, including statistics.

Harvard Admissions Lawsuit.​ admissionscase.harvard.edu/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

 This source was useful as it is a primary source that helps to justify

Harvard's reasoning behind wanting to continue using affirmative action,

which is similar to my point in writing this paper.

Jung, Carrie. "Harvard Discrimination Trial Ends, but Lawsuit Is Far from over."

​NPR,​ 2 Nov. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/11/02/660734399/

harvard-discrimination-trial-is-ending-but-lawsuit-is-far-from-over.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2019. This article was extremely helpful in learning more

about affirmative action today, and, more specifically, the Harvard Lawsuit

case. I primarily used this article for the second to last paragraph.

National Conference of State Legislatures​. 7 Feb. 2014, www.ncsl.org/research/

education/affirmative-action-overview.aspx. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019. The

purpose of this webpage is to give a brief overview of affirmative action,

which is my topic. Not only does it provide information on the history

behind affirmative action, but also viewpoints on both sides of the matter.

Newkirk II, Vann R. "The Myth of Reverse Racism." ​The Atlantic​, 5 Aug. 2017,

www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/08/myth-of-reverse-racism/535689/.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2019. This newspage was helpful for looking at different

perspectives and why some may feel a way different from the argument I'm

making. Also, it provided many useful statistics.

Webster, Emma. "Affirmative Action: What It Is and How It Works." ​Teen Vogue,​ 14

Aug. 2017, www.teenvogue.com/story/what-is-affirmative-action-explainer.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2019. This website doesn't have any biases in presenting

information, and instead was a helpful source in learning more about the
background and statistics of affirmative action.