To a college student, the application process is a familiar one. Taking tests and composing essays that could potentially determine our future, we strive to exhibit our intelligence as well as our uniqueness to the admissions office. And of course, when one talks about college admissions, it is almost impossible not to touch upon the subject of affirmative action. The mere mention of the subject may force any student to ask, Is affirmative action going to help or hurt me in the long run?""
Affirmative action works, despite the few inherent drawbacks that come with any attempt to level the playing field between minority groups and whites. However, it is because of these limitations that affirmative action is more of a short-term fix, rather than a cure for the very longstanding problem of discrimination.
One of the largest complaints against affirmative action is that it allows underachieving minorities to take the place of white applicants who are more qualified. Thus, on a university level, minority students take the place of white students, even though the white students may have been able to perform better on tests and in school than the minority students. This is an outrageous claim. First of all, underqualified white students with connections or alumni parents will probably displace more qualified students than any minority groups. So why not get mad at them instead of minorities, when a number of times minorities lack the academic resources that many whites have access to?
Second, college admissions do not accept students based on their past accomplishments, but on estimations of how much that student will contribute to society. Although achievements may be a good gauge, it is not the only way to evaluate potential contributions. Also, students of different ethnicities will add greatly to a population oversaturated with a specific race of students by exposing that population to different cultures and ideas. Lastly, student athletes are notorious for not being able to meet the academic standards set by a college, and yet we all tolerate this. A student may be accepted into a competitive college not based on their intelligence or future contributions to society, but merely because they can catch, kick or throw a ball well. Even though this is a generalization and there are several cases where this is simply not true, there are just as many cases where it is.
Affirmative action can play an important factor in diversifying a specific population by encouraging minorities to apply. All of us come to college not only to get a higher education but to also gain valuable life lessons. Some of these life lessons should include learning about other races and cultures, because the more familiar we are with something the less likely we are to fear and distrust it.
There is no denying the fact, however, that affirmative action causes a certain amount of racial tension. By taking into account a person's skin color, you are categorizing people purely on the basis of an inherited trait, which will always cause strife in society. It is because of this added racial strain that affirmative action will never lead to a truly color-blind society. You simply cannot label people a certain way and expect that the whole problem will sort itself out. If we are going to hire people by factoring in their ethnicity, then there are always going to be other people blaming those of race for stealing jobs and positions away from whites. Discrimination will continue.
This really is a vicious cycle, one that will continue to perpetuate itself until a new system is in place. Perhaps when we stop giving special consideration to people based on race, socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicity, physical ability, etc., etc., then we will be able to truly judge a person based only on their merits. Of course, that sort of idealized dream world is a far ways away.
Ryan Dashek is a junior majoring in biology. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
