Do you oppose affirmative action college admissions? How are they different from legacy admissions?

Question

Rich kids get extra points toward college admission if a parent or relative went to the college, and more points if their parents contributed.This is how George W. Bush got into Yale. How is this different from saving some spots for economically disadvantaged students, (capable of doing the work of course)?

Answer 1

Affirmation action is one way to redress inequities caused by past discrimnation. It also enhances the workplace with some diversity. Clarence Thomas was a likely affirmative action admit to undergrad and to law school, and Condoleeza Rice's degrees from the rather pedestrian University of Denver did not by themselves qualify her for a teaching job at Stanford. What would Republicans do without these black heroes now?

Frankly I would rather see a few very bright minority students get a leg up on admissions than see colleges crowded with lazy rich kids. There are plenty of spots for middle class white kids at very good colleges all over the U.S. It's probably just latent racism that gets the conservatives' blood boiling on this issue.

Answer 2

It depends on how you look at it. In both cases, the possibility exists that a person who falls below the college's standards will be accepted. In this case, does it matter if that substandard student is black or rich? Probably not, in the grand scheme of things. But few situations allow for such black-and-white decisions, be they at the college level or elsewhere.

Just like a business, colleges and universities need money to operate. This money has to come from tuition, donations, and extracurricular events, like sports. Let's push tuition to the side because it's doesn't apply and tackle sources like donations and sports.

Donations: People donate money only because they get something out of the deal---warm feeling, points toward heaven, or favors. Let's say that someone is going to donate millions of dollars to your university. Which is the greater disservice: turning down that money, which could go toward building a bigger library for all students, or allowing the person's kid a free ticket?

Sports: People are more likely to pay money for sports---and merchandise---when you have a decent team. Which is worse: not being able to make university improvements or allowing a star football player who would normally be rejected to get into the college?

Money makes the world go round, no matter how much we wish it weren't so.

Answer 3

Affirmative action has nothing to do with economics. Are you trying to say that all minorities are poor and all white people are rich?

Colleges are businesses. Why should the government be able to step in and force them to let in someone who can not pay when there's a line of people with cash in hand? There are plenty of community colleges and cheaper schools that the "poor" can attend with the right loans. Why should you get prime rib when you can only pay for hamburger?

Nice cheap shot on GW - but that's not how he got into Yale. Can't you liberals ever ask or answer a question without throwing a punch at the President? GROW UP!

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Answer 4

Affirmative action and someone being able to do something on their own merit is two different things. You should really research something before you post it.
Everyone should be able to do something on their own merit. Affirmative action - though had it's heart in the right place is discrimination. A middle class white male that makes As and Bs all through school has less of a chance of getting into the college of their choice than "rich kids", and disadvantaged minorities.

Answer 5

You can't compare Affirmative Action to Legacy. Affirmative Action is race biased and legacy is money biased. Any group that discriminates against those protected in the Civil Rights laws should be disband. And Affirmative Action does that.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub.L. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241, July 2, 1964) was landmark legislation in the United States that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Answer 6

It is no different. I've often said that reparations for slavery should be free tuition, room and board at state colleges and the Ivy League for any high schooler that can prove at least 3 grandparents were descendants from chattel slaves in the US.

That would end all the whining by so-called 'civil rights leaders' and nonsense from anyone else.

Answer 7

It has nothing to do with economics.....it's all about "diversity".

I disagree with AA.