Guess who gets the $$$$$$$
A previous post, see here Link, inspired me to run off at the mouth for another assignment. (I'm sure my teacher loves my intentionally controversial articles) Even though it's not really put together very well yet, I'm posting my 1st draft /idea here for your flaming enjoyment......
Many people feel that there is still a great need to overcome inherent sexism and racism in our Nation by promoting equal opportunity laws, and affirmative action. Influential black leaders proclaim that their race is still discriminated against by such a large degree that it is essential that affirmative action and race requirements should still be used as a determining factor in college admissions to “even the playing field.” Gender and race-based scholarships are considered a valuable tool to help disenfranchised youth to attend the unattainable goal of higher education.
Yet, the same rules that can elevate one group of people can actually propagate further discrimination. The mere existence of such regulations implies that some people could not ever succeed without outside help. However, the number who feels that these anti-discrimination admissions and scholarships policies actually discriminate against “non minority” students is growing. Equal opportunity actually discriminates the most against one group, middle-income white males. Reverse discrimination is likely the instigating factor that accounts for the drop in white male attendance in colleges and universities since 1995. Yet in spite of overwhelming evidence, students who believe that quotas and “race-based scholarships” are unfair are still considered sexist and/or racist.
Outdated college admissions policies based on gender or the color of a student’s skin are no longer the most effective way to select students to attend a school. Prior accomplishments, GPA, and other qualifications should hold more weight than race or gender. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. This applies to all federally funded institutions to include public schools and nearly all colleges and universities. Therefore, the government should not force quotas on a school or support the use of race-based scholarships. Students, parents, and taxpayers have the right to know if federally funded universities are treating student applications differently (based on the students’ race, gender color, or national origin).
Affirmative action advocates claim the policies have narrowed the gender gap; instead, majority has changed, not evened out. According to an analyst for The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education Independent Higher Education Policy, Thomas Mortenson, since 1995, the trend has shifted away from a male dominated education system. National statistics also forecast a continued decline in the percentage of males on college campuses. Even though the ratio of men to women ages 18-24 in the USA is (53/47) 15 million vs. 14.2 million. (106 for every 100 females) However, nationally, the male/female ratio on campus today is 43/57. (75.4 males for every 100 females) This example shows how affirmative action cannot balance truly provide equality, only shift the balance of power. The percentages have shifted as well in race-based statistics. In 1977, white non-Hispanics received 90 percent of the bachelor’s degrees awarded to U.S. citizens. By 2001, this number had dropped to 74 percent. (The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Between 2004 and 2015, enrollment (figure D, reference figure 20 and table 22) is projected to increase 6 percent for students who are White, non-Hispanic; 27 percent for students who are Black, non-Hispanic; 42 percent for students who are Hispanic; The enrollment rate of 18-24 year old students from 1967 to 2004 increased 18% for black students compared with only a 14.8% increase for white. (NCES June 2006 Report- Table 184) The racial and gender gaps are shifting and many education analysts feel that the gender and racial gap could continue to shift as more males enter trades and labor markets while women and minorities dominate the educational system.
Proof that many people see affirmative action as racist was the controversial lawsuit in 1995 at the University of Alabama. The school was charged with racism for providing a whites-only scholarship. This historically black college was risking the loss of critical funding because the student body was not diverse enough. They are opted to provide scholarships to non-black applicants until the student body was at least 10% non-black. The lawsuit, brought by a black student, did not prevent this practice. It only inspired other schools to look at their own policies.
I completely agree with Roger Clegg, president and general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity when he said, in a front page NYT article on March 14, 2006, "Our concern is that the law be followed and that nobody be denied participation in a program on account of skin color or what country their ancestors came from. We're not looking at achieving a particular racial outcome, and it's unfortunate that some organizations seem to view the success or failure of the program based simply on what percentage of students of this color or that color can participate.” (1) Male, female, white or black; students should not be unfairly disadvantaged because of the color of their skin, gender or race.
Reversing a racial/ethnic/gender inequality through quotas and extra financial incentives does not result in an equivalent and perfectly fair structure. Therefore, the federal and state funds should NOT be used to promote discrimination in any form. No race or gender based scholarships should be permitted through public funding. Schools should be prohibited from using race or gender to weigh applications. That is not to say that race conscious measures should be totally outlawed; of course, some oversight is obviously necessary to ensure that avoiding unfairly promoting one race doesn’t not cripple someone else’s opportunities. Yet, using race or gender for unfair advantages should not be avoided our educational system.
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