(Source) “Life is a marathon, but minority runners often start the race from further back than do whites.” Do you agree or disagree with this quote? How about in the context of higher education? It is no secret that increasing diversity in higher education is a goal for many educational institutions. Affirmative action is
If being surrounded by diverse peers allows students to learn early on to purge themselves of implicit biases and avoid stereotyping their peers based on race or ethnicity, then the need for such race-based policies in college admissions is clear. Affirmative action’s goal of ensuring the advancement of minorities inherently includes the goal of removing biases against them in the professional world. This goal is especially relevant to Asian Americans, who are less likely than both African Americans and Hispanics to be promoted into management roles in the workforce. The value of a “diverse” education is diminished if affirmative action policies fail to reduce the false notion of Asian Americans inherently lacking leadership skills. More pressingly, affirmative action policies will fail Asian American graduates if they are not allowed in the classroom in the first place.
JLPP’s Alex Poe takes us through his top five law and public policy topics to keep an eye on in 2013.
Lyndsey Marcelino responds to Margaret Schmidt’s post that analyzed the affirmative action admission policies in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.
Margaret Schmidt reflects on the importance of Fisher v. University of Texas as a vessel for modifying the country’s flawed affirmative action programs.