<p>^ Of course they can (:</p>
<p>Please consider this.</p>
<p>Rickey Branch, the Dodgers manager who signed Jackie Robinson, went to U-M. He explicitly stated that he would only sign a black player if he was good enoguh. Jackie earned his spot on the roster. He did not have affirmative action. If Jackie Robinson could earn his way in a much more racist society without affirmative action, then why do we need it today?</p>
<p>Sports and college admissions are two different things. Black people are expected to excel at sports and struggle in school. Young black people see this all around them and the world bangs these stereotypes into their heads so much that it is a self - fulfilling prophecy. So, colleges admire those who break the strangehold.</p>
<p>Might I add, 777Blue77, that “white males” were the people who brought my ancestors to the Americas on crowded, unsanitary slave ships and submitted them to chains and inhumanity for hundreds of years.</p>
<p>All i have to say is that, even though i dislike AA and the belief that you can get rid of discrimination through discrimination, private universities can use it because they are private. However, since UofM is a PUBLIC university it should adhere to the government’s use of a nondiscrimination policy prohibiting the use of race, religion, sex (all that stuff) in all of dealings so therefor it should not use AA</p>
<p>@jojouhgogo might i add that my people were not in America at that time and were from a place that did not use slaves and my ancestors never owned slaves. Why should i be punished for sins that neither I nor my ancestors committed? also, were you ever enslaved? and finally, why would you want to punish those whose ancestors were the ones that ended slavery? I guess a good deed never goes unpunished</p>
<p>I don’t believe I mentioned anything about AA, per se. I was simply pointing out a perceived flaw in his argument. If he is to mention that white males ended slavery, he should also acknowledge that they helped start it. However, to be honest, Africans were also involved in the birth of that grotesque institution. So, no, I’m not pointing fingers right now. I just stating fact</p>
<p>@jojouhgogo. You have a good point. However, those who established slavery and those who ended it are two completely different generations. Those who abolished it realized the mistakes of the past.</p>
<p>I must also state that racism imbedded in law didn’t stop until around 50 years ago, and even after that people still have their racial prejudices.</p>
<p>i am simply trying to get you to see that those who had slaves and those who were abolitionists were two completely different groups of people who are both equally hurt by AA. also, i have never heard of other races who were enslaved ask for preferential treatment in things like jobs or college admissions</p>
<p>@woeishe that is true and since i am all for race not even being put on an application racial prejudice wouldn’t be a factor for college admissions :)</p>
<p>Furthermore, life is unfair. I know that’s a hard concept to grasp, but I mean, hey, life is life. My dad died before I got to know him and my mom has a serious mental disorder, but it’s not like I complain everyday and whine about how those disadvantages have affected me. Sure I do sometimes, I’m human, but I think people should focus less on AA and more on how they can improve their own resumes, up their own chances. So yeah, it might suck that you’re not an URM, and yeah my test scores are below some of my peers. But I assure you that my test scores will not affect my performance in college and I suggest that you don’t let the whole AA thing aversely affect you.</p>
<p>^^Oh really?</p>
<p>and Whites/Asians are nicely represented in all of the elite colleges so…</p>
<p>I love history, so yes I realize that they were two groups of people from two seperate generations. I’m also not saying that the whites of today are at fault for the idiocy of the forefathers.</p>
<p>^^^do you see AA as discrimination?</p>
<p>My position on this topic is premature at best. To be frank, before this week, I hardly new that AA bothered anyone. As of yet, I cannot classify AA as discrimination. I am biased because I will most likely benefit from it and I honestly need more time to contemplate the whole thing. Though I will say that classifying it as “discrimination” is a bit harsh.</p>
<p>woeishe, I did not understand the pont of your last post. Please explain</p>
<p>jojo, people complain about AA but fail to explain why the percentages of Asian/Whites are so high and the percentages of URMs are so low.</p>
<p>Do you consider this discrimination?</p>
<p>In Bakke vs. the Regents of the Univ of Cal, a white student scored significantly better on a placement exam for medical school than several minority students. Bakke was in the 90s, while those admitted where 40s (don’t quote me to the numbers. The point is Bakke performed significantly better).</p>
<p>Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the graduation rates for URMs, on average, lower than Whites and Asians? I’d also guess that a fair amoint of those who DO graduate have low GPAs and opt for community college, if any college at all. I also think that is partly a cultural thing. I dont believe that URMs are as encouraged to attend college. Of course, this argument is not based on any research, but from what i have hard, they are at least partly true</p>
<p>Blue? Wasn’t that back when there were quotas, which have since been declared unconst. (actually with that court case)? The quotas were a bit much, though I am still hesitant to deem it as discrimination. But, again, I am biased. For all I know, quotas may have helped some of my family members get into college</p>