In the article “Does Affirmative Action Do What It Should?” an interesting alternate perspective concerning affirmative action is presented. In the article, Dan Slater starts off by describing affirmative action. They are a set of policies used by universities across the nation as a means to recruit minority students whose predecessors have been subject to racial discrimination within the United States. These practices have been put into place to “even-out” the overwhelmingly off-balance number of white-success-stories to minority-success-stories ratio. They’ve been implemented, according to former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra O’Conner, in hopes that “[in] 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary
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Soon after, however, like African American Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas, many argued that instead of helping students, it might actually be more beneficial for a student to go to a university of a lower level. Many say that it is a burden for the student to be placed in an institution that is high above what the student is capable of given the background they have at or in a previous school or area – a phenomenon called “mismatch.”
Although this mismatch theory does not blatantly state that students who attend prestigious schools will fail, it infers that they are more likely to have trouble perhaps “keeping up” with predominantly white students with stronger backgrounds. It is assumed that these problems that arise at the university level will cause future problems. Problems such as not graduating on time or having a difficult time finding a job upon …show more content…
Personally, as a minority, I do believe it to be an exceptional policy that does indeed benefit minorities across the country. I believe that I am part of a generation that is becoming increasingly aware of our surroundings and with some of the policies that are in place. Although I do think it is everyone’s personal responsibility to try and succeed and to make the most of the resources available, as a Hispanic American living in a predominately poor and rural county, I feel the burden when I look at students in other parts of the country who are given more opportunities for success. I feel as if I am at a disadvantage knowing that in other parts of the country, parents are perhaps more likely to have the financial means to provide their children with resources that will better help them prepare for the
Soon after, however, like African American Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas, many argued that instead of helping students, it might actually be more beneficial for a student to go to a university of a lower level. Many say that it is a burden for the student to be placed in an institution that is high above what the student is capable of given the background they have at or in a previous school or area – a phenomenon called “mismatch.”
Although this mismatch theory does not blatantly state that students who attend prestigious schools will fail, it infers that they are more likely to have trouble perhaps “keeping up” with predominantly white students with stronger backgrounds. It is assumed that these problems that arise at the university level will cause future problems. Problems such as not graduating on time or having a difficult time finding a job upon …show more content…
Personally, as a minority, I do believe it to be an exceptional policy that does indeed benefit minorities across the country. I believe that I am part of a generation that is becoming increasingly aware of our surroundings and with some of the policies that are in place. Although I do think it is everyone’s personal responsibility to try and succeed and to make the most of the resources available, as a Hispanic American living in a predominately poor and rural county, I feel the burden when I look at students in other parts of the country who are given more opportunities for success. I feel as if I am at a disadvantage knowing that in other parts of the country, parents are perhaps more likely to have the financial means to provide their children with resources that will better help them prepare for the