Why is Racial Diversity a problem at most colleges?

College Life
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<p>Not to be entirely sarcastic, but if you are talking about US Senators, there are only 100 of them. If they have an average of 2.2 children each, there are only 220 children of senators. Now, those kids are of all different ages - we can maybe assume that they span 20 years -> there are only 10 children of senators who apply to college (not even UMich) every year. Every year, 25,000 people apply to UMich. Even if all 10ish children of senators apply, they make up one in 2,500 applicants. </p>

<p>Why sweat that?</p>

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<p>Yes knoxville, every institute of higher education uses the now defunct University of Michigan point system.</p>

<p>Plus the point system awarded points for other that, extracuriccular activities, the notoriety of your high school, essay, SAT score, male nurses, and alumni relation, AP classes etc. I bet you African Americans tyically have the upper hand with those factors.</p>

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<p>how many black US senators are there anyways?</p>

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<p>There is currently only one African American in the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama of Illinois.</p>

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<p>I'm only using the point system to illustrate that minorities are given a little extra consideration for college admission simply because they're minorities. How can you possibly be arguing with me about this? It's the very basis of affirmative action.</p>

<p>I simply don't believe affirmative action is a good solution to the problems faced by minority students today. As I said before, the biggest obstacle facing underpriviledged children (INCLUDING white ones) is poor preparation for college, a problem that affirmative action does not address or solve.</p>

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<p>I believe that the point system was outlawed by the Supreme Court last year. That was in the U Michigan case.</p>

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<p>I am only arguing that that system 1) isnt used anymore and 2) had kickbacks for Caucasians too. The funny thing about Affirmative Action is that it is different from discrimination in a sort. You can actuall physically see discrimination happen- you cant necessarily see Affirmative Action (as many people have claimed). You can look at osmeone and say he has probably been discriminated before because he's black but you cant look at someone and say he's here because of affirmative action. You will never really know. Its something thats subtle and far from systematic.</p>

<p>I would think that the rich white kid would have an edge over the underrepresented black kid in some cases. I'm not that big of a proponent of AA, but I think that white people have no right to try and judge a successful person and say, "hey I wonder if AA helped them along the way." Just as much as you say that, I wonder, "who's your daddy and how much does he make."</p>

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<p>Well, that's what I don't like about affirmative action: because I'm latina, no matter where I get in my life, I'll never know if I really got there on my own merit or if rich white guys were giving me a hand up all the time. That's another thing to add to the long list of problems I have with affirmative action. Besides, if you're going to look at a minority and assume they've been discriminated against, you have to assume they've also been given the hand up. BECAUSE THEY HAVE. Whether or not you needed it, if you're a minority, affirmative action helped you--EVEN IF YOU COULD HAVE DONE IT ON YOUR OWN. Even if you didn't need affirmative action. If you get into Harvard with a 2400 SAT and you're black, that's great, but you probably could have gotten in with a 2100, too, although perhaps a person who isn't a URM couldn't have. </p>

<p>Besides, if you're looking at white people assuming they're rich, you're every bit as discriminatory and racist as anyone who assumes all minorities at college ONLY got in by the grace of AA.</p>

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<p>hmm...are you calling yourself a racist?.....</p>