Affirmative Action

Tweet

A hot topic here on the University of Michigan campus was the passing of Proposal 2 in Michigan which bans the use of affirmative action by universities and colleges. Race has been been taken off the list of things admissions counselors take into account when deciding whether or not to admit a student. School President Coleman has been firm in her stance against the proposal and is working with other universities to try and get the proposal overturned, but for now it stands. This winter semester was the first in which the new methods of admitting students were put in place but I have yet to hear any statistics. What are your feelings on this? I have read in various articles that university presidents in other states (California, Texas) have seen diversity become a problem on their campuses, and feel as though the passed proposals are to blame. I can see the validity of arguments for both sides of the case, which makes forming my own opinion difficult. Affirmative action is meant to battle the prejudices that are unfortunately still present in our country, but how can we justify it when it itself is just another form of prejudice (in my opinion)? But then again, I see the need for it. I see that not all high school kids are afforded the same opportunities because of where they live or their financial situations, and so need the "leg up" so to speak. So you can see where this gets messy. But what are your feelings on this?