<p>Press release regarding Fisher vs. UT:</p>
<p>"STATEMENT FROM BILL POWERS, PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, ON THE U.S. SUPREME COURTS GRANT OF CERTIORARI IN FISHER V. THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, ET AL. AND THE UNIVERSITYS COMMITMENT TO A HOLISTIC ADMISSIONS POLICY THAT IS NARROWLY TAILORED TO ACHIEVE THE EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS OF A DIVERSE STUDENT BODY."</p>
<p>Statement</a> Regarding U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Hear Fisher v. The University of Texas | News</p>
<p>This is interesting, I have been learning about discrimination in college admissions in my AP Government and Politics: United States class. I have also been accepted to UT Austin OOS.</p>
<p>I think it is totally not right to ask for race on applications for admission. Admissions should not be considering race when making their decision for admission.</p>
<p>To understand affirmative action, you need to analyze it under a larger scope than what’s happening at UT Austin or even the American education system as whole. It’s a social issue on the national, and even international, scale. </p>
<p>The second a baby is born he is given a broad range of opportunities and possible futures. His genes and the natural talents and skills that he develops will restrict the goals he can realistically achieve, but otherwise he is free to decide. He can chase whatever dream of the good life he desires. However, if that baby happens to be born as a minority, that range of opportunities is suddenly narrowed- it’s taken away from him before he has the chance to fight for it. But you are your genes and that’s no one’s fault right? Society has no reason to let a kid that was born blind in to the NBA. He was born blind! After all, the NBA doesn’t have an affirmative action program for the disabled.</p>
<p>However, race is entirely different. It’s a socially constructed disease. There is no medical reason to predict that an African American baby will grow up to be unqualified for college. Yet, somewhere along the way he somehow ends up behind. Why? Because he wasn’t given a fair chance. He was discriminated against for a trait, be it his skin color or his socioeconomic status, that he did not choose but was imposed upon him nonetheless. </p>
<p>Poverty and disenfranchisement are self-reciprocating. Once you’re poor, it’s even harder to get un-poor. When you’re worried about finding your next meal, you’re not worrying about voting. I’m not sure if these disadvantages are still as tied to race as they were back in the 60’s when affirmative action was initiated, but the repercussions of the prior century of discrimination have yet to be cleared out. </p>
<p>By rejecting affirmative action, you are approving of society’s current stratification. You are saying to that baby, “sorry that it had to be this way, but you’re X. There’s no reason for that to be bad but… it is. And you’ll just have to deal with it. And you’re children will too.”</p>
<p>Education is the cure for poverty and affirmative action is society’s effort to pull certain groups out of it. Perhaps factoring race in to admissions is unfair, but I’m pretty sure that it’s no more unfair than the racism which still exists and suppresses to this day. I am a 1st generation Asian American and though there are not many negative stereotypes associated with this, I can tell you that society is not as blind to race as we would often like to think. It’s a real force and we can’t pretend like it’s not there.</p>
<p>frever : You have some good points however there is no discrimination if nothing is asked. Everyone is treated equally. Asking for race is racist and I can tell you that other countries don’t do this and it would be against the law to ask for the race of someone in any types of application (I know that this is the case in Canada). Everyone is equal whatever their race.</p>
<p>If someone whatever their color is had socio economic issues, there are many places that this can be reflected in the application. The race checkbox itself adds no value to this effect. Socio economic issues has no colors and is real for many people.</p>
<p>It is not rejecting affirmative actions but rather favoring equality regardless of race or color.</p>
<p>Again, I think that you are viewing the issue under too narrow a scope. If you consider just the application, then, yes, I would agree that it appears racist to favor minorities. It would seem that the proper way to avoid racism is to simply not ask for race. This simple change would create “equality” in the application. </p>
<p>However, equality across society as a whole should supersede the narrow equality within the confines of the application. It is no secret that minorities are discriminated against in America to this day. And though the disadvantages imparted by race often correlate with those of low socioeconomic standing, the two not the same. A minority can and is often discriminated against for reasons independent of their socioeconomic status. </p>
<p>The true victory is in amending this, in counteracting and curing the social disease of modern racism. It is necessary to apply an upwards force to oppose the downward pressure of racism. This is especially necessary because of the entrapping nature of being at the bottom of the ladder. The further down the ladder a group goes, the harder it is for them to break free, and the more disenfranchised they become. </p>
<p>Repeating what I said in my above post, the act of ceasing affirmative action with respect to race is an act of approval for society’s current stratification. Certain minorities did not earn their place at the bottom of the ladder but were instead put there. The Native Americans did not “give” their land to us but had it taken from them. It would have been wrong of society to ignore this, pretend like nothing happened, and continue on without considering atonement. It is similarly obvious that society wronged certain minorities. We screwed up. So what are we going to do about it? Removing race from the application is tantamount to replying, “nothing”.</p>
<p>It is necessary for us to make amends to the minorities who were wrongfully subjugated in the past. It is necessary for society to pull them out of the hole we shoved them in to. Even if you do not agree with this, I would hesitate to say that it is “totally not right to ask for race on applications for admission” as you did above.</p>