• Home Page
  • College Admissions Persuasive Speech

College Admissions Persuasive Speech

Improved Essays
Show More
Jessica Tao
Mrs. Richmond
ACP Speech G1
November 2, 2015
Affirmative Action in College Admissions
Introduction
Today’s top universities boast acceptance rates in the single digits, some hovering at a mere 5 percent.
The competitive nature of college admissions has shone light on an issue highly relevant to us: affirmative action.
I acknowledge that affirmative action does not benefit everyone; it may even hurt some. But by definition, the purpose of affirmative action is to favor those who tend to suffer from discrimination.
I will address this issue from the position that it aids those placed at a disadvantage from institutional racism, and diversifies the learning environment.
(When we approach the debate of affirmative action, we must …show more content…
Helping minorities is progress towards inclusiveness.
The majority of Americans say that discrimination against certain minority groups, such as African Americans, is thriving.
According to a May 2013 Pew Research article, 88 percent of Blacks say there is a lot or some discrimination against African Americans.
57 percent of whites say there is a lot or some discrimination against African Americans. (Doherty)
(The unfortunately commonplace nature of discrimination has led to dire consequences within our increasingly educated society, as the race gap in college education continues to widen.)
The race gap in college education will not close without the help of affirmative action.
Nearly 30% of Americans have a college education. However, only 17% of Blacks and 13% of Hispanics attain this same of education.
This lack of balance among minorities negatively impacts society and reinforces stereotypes in a self-fulfilling legacy.
The self-fulling legacy surfaces when adult members of a minority begin to think that higher education is not attainable for their family or themselves.
(My final point, diversity, addresses those non-minority members who benefit indirectly from affirmative …show more content…
Affirmative action ultimately aids disadvantaged people who may have grown up in areas where there aren’t many opportunities be able to advance, therefore adding a degree of fairness to the process of admissions.
Going against this policy will ultimately be a setback in American progress towards equality.
Can we fight against fairness?

Works Cited
"Arguments for and against Affirmative Action." Arguments for and against Affirmative Action. Lawyers.com, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
Bahlmann, Marc D. "Geographic Network Diversity: How Does It Affect Exploratory Innovation?" Industry and Innovation 21.7-8 (2014): 633-54. CECIS. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
Barone, Michael. "High Court Stops Short of Ending Racial Quotas and Preferences | Human Events." Human Events. N.p., 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
Cohen, Steve. "The Secret Quotas in College Admissions." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 6 July 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. Doherty, Carroll. "For African Americans, Discrimination Is Not Dead." Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 28 June 2013. Web. 02 Nov.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Advantage Of Affirmative Action
    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Advantage Of Affirmative Action

    In 2007, the University of California, Los Angeles offered admission to the fall season to nearly 400 Black students, compared to 249 in 2006. In addition, Native American’s have also benefited from affirmative action. Even though the life on Indian reservations is below the standard of living, affirmative action has created a group of educated elites that have benefited the community in creating large business. To begin with, at Texas A&M University, the admission in Chicanos and African Americans has dropped an average of 6% after the ban on affirmative action in 1997.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Affirmative Action: The Case Of Brown V. Board Of Education
    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Affirmative Action: The Case Of Brown V. Board Of Education

    This is a heated age and the policy of affirmative action is a controversial topic. Ever since it was first introduced in the 1960s, the court has affected the use of affirmative action significantly because its rulings upheld the policy’s constitutionally and made it more acceptable to the public. To begin with, it is important to acknowledge that the court was not the only arena in which affirmative action policies have been challenged. It has also been challenged in arenas such as college admission and the job application process. In my opinion, the case of Brown v. Board of Education had a significant impact on the introducing the affirmative action.…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Louis Pojman Argument Against Strong Affirmative Action
    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Louis Pojman Argument Against Strong Affirmative Action

    In “The Case Against Affirmative Action,” Louis Pojman argues against Strong Affirmative Action, which he distinguishes from Weak Affirmative Action. I will begin this paper by explaining this distinction between Strong and Weak Affirmative Action. Second, I will explain why I agree with Pojman that Strong Affirmative Action has no moral weight. Next, I will provide an exposition of Argument 9: An Argument from the Principle of Human Merit. In this exposition, I will explain why I agree with the two pillars of Pojman’s argument.…

    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Affirmative Action, Malcolm X: A Life Of Reinvention?
    • 1525 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Affirmative Action, Malcolm X: A Life Of Reinvention?

    Affirmative action is a policy favoring people who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education; affirmative action is considered positive discrimination. Nicolaus Mills wrote this article Rethinking affirmative action after analyzing Columbia University’s professor Manning Marable 's biography, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. In the biography, Marable examines the late Malcolm X ideas, theories, and ideologies in many different aspects in which Mills was intrigued. Giving him an abundant amount of knowledge to write this article. Rethinking Affirmative Action focuses on many main points of affirmative action, it elaborates on the use of affirmative action in college admissions, who actually benefits…

    • 1525 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Affirmative Action Case Study
    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 4 Works Cited

    Affirmative Action Case Study

    However, he notes, “truly meeting the needs of low-income students would require fundamental reforms in financial aid.” He alludes to the early days of the Penn Grant, which in the beginning covered 84% of college expenses, making attending college for the poor a real possibility. Today, the Penn Grant covers half that, or only 42% of the costs of college. For many low-income families, sending their kids to college has become a financial impossibility. Many poor students end up going to community colleges, the cheaper alternative.…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 4 Works Cited
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    What Is Affirmative Action Pros And Cons
    • 1707 Words
    • 7 Pages

    What Is Affirmative Action Pros And Cons

    Austin Mabery Yollotl Lopez English 101 February 24, 2015 The Flaws in Good Intentions Affirmative action has been a massively debated controversy for the last several years and will continue to be for many more to come. For those who do not quite know or don’t fully understand what Affirmative Action is, it is best described as Policies in which higher level education and organizations make efforts to improve opportunities for underrepresented minorities. It also takes into account race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. Not only is affirmative action wrong and unethical in higher level education, but also for job opportunities in the workplace.…

    • 1707 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Difference Between Affirmative Action And Slavery
    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Difference Between Affirmative Action And Slavery

    Affirmative action was signed by President John F. Kennedy it was first put into play on March 6, 1961 it called to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without concern to their race, creed, color, or national origin. Forward to 2016 where it has become a problem within college applications where colleges are now more focused on having a diverse student body rather than the quality of the student themselves. While some colleges believe that affirmative action is helping minorities it can seem condescending applying that minorities cannot achieve their objectives with their abilities or hard work. This implied meaning is similar to the belief that slaveholders argued that slavery was a ‘positive good’ that civilized blacks and raised them in every dimension of life. The arguments for affirmative action and slavery similar in the both argue that it helps to bring out potential in…

    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Affirmative Action In College And Universities: Article Analysis
    • 130 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Affirmative Action In College And Universities: Article Analysis

    This article discusses the importance of affirmative action, in college and universities. It also discusses the goal and the origins of affirmative action when it was first drafted in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. The author, William H. Gray, is a supporter of affirmative action and feels that it is in the best interest for America. Gray stresses throughout the entire article that it would detrimental to our country if all citizens of our nation are not provided with access to an equal opportunity to succeed. I chose this article because it provides statistical data that supports the author’s thesis that affirmative action not only contributes to improving America’s social reform but also America’s economy.…

    • 130 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Responsibility Of Affirmative Action In Today's Society
    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Responsibility Of Affirmative Action In Today's Society

    Affirmative action policies aim to ensure equal educational and employment opportunities for minorities and women. They intend to benefit people who had previously suffered from discrimination, such as African Americans, by placing requirements, or quotas, on percentages of races that must be hired or accepted (LaNoue). Employers and schools must consider race or gender when hiring to make sure that both genders and all races have equal opportunities (Hanmer). However, this system is surrounded by controversy considering its constitutionality and relevance in today’s society. The policy of affirmative action is outdated, unjust, and unnecessary to create diversity in America today (Affirmative).…

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Informative Essay On Affirmative Action
    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Informative Essay On Affirmative Action

    University admissions departments have the opportunity to do so much more than “judge a book by its cover”, and admit students based on potential, talents, and a number of genuine, valuable, and positive characteristics, as per the goal of their school and proactive direction of the country. The cultural diversity desired by college campuses is simply a group with many different attributes. Considering socioeconomic status, country of origin, primary language, etc. would create just as much - if not more - diversity of culture, thought, and idea than by judging specifically by race, which has appeared to create only a wildly negative atmosphere of judgement, ridicule, and segregation. Americans so often tend to view a group of people and develop an opinion of them based solely on what they shallowly observed from a distance, such as height, weight, or facial expressions, and form their arguments and stances around an observation that happens to offend them. What many Americans forget is that even if a group of people appear the same, they are still individuals with unique and varying skills, strengths, and personalities beneath any kind of initial, uneducated observation that is encouraged by the ignorance of affirmative…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Essay On Diversity In Colleges
    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Essay On Diversity In Colleges

    College and Universities should search more alternatives to give priority to minorities such as African American students who are discriminated by other social groups. An example is to start proposing more laws or projects such as the affirmative action, which was approval in November 1996. This amended prohibit state governmental institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity, specifically in public education (Korbe 768). If schools create different types of protests and campaigns will help to reduce institutions to use race as an important factor to admission…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Affirmative Action In Universities
    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Affirmative Action In Universities

    To fully understand the problems revolving around race-based admission programs in various universities, one must first understand how this issue first developed, as well as what affirmative action is. Affirmative action is a policy also known as positive discrimination, in other words, it strives to favor people who are a minority, such as, people of color. This is an important issue as it affects legislators, colleges, but most importantly future college students. For this issue, there are those that are for and against affirmative action; as well as those who seek a compromise, like the Top Ten percent plan in Texas. The earliest case dealing with race in the educational field dates back the early 1900’s with the Berea College v. Kentucky…

    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Affirmative Action And Fairness Analysis
    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Affirmative Action And Fairness Analysis

    Affirmative action policies allow for equal opportunity and throughout history have helped end discrimination in the workforce as well as many different type of organizations. Minorities are given the opportunity to compete for job opportunities and admissions to educational institutions. However, not everyone agrees with these types of policies and believe that this is a form of “reverse discrimination” against white individuals (1). These individuals argue that minorities that include people of color and women are given preference and although the qualifications may be the same amongst all, the minorities will be granted the opportunity simply because of their skin color or gender. In “Affirmative Action and Fairness” Robert Fullinwider discusses how affirmative action is viewed differently…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Racial Discrimination In The Help Movie
    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Racial Discrimination In The Help Movie

    One of the best American historical fiction film The Help centered around racial discrimination and gender roles in the Civil Rights era in 1960s. Throughout American history, racial segregation has always been an issue. The ideology of “separate but equal” was once a legal doctrine in the United States Constitution. It was until Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education statewide segregation laws have become illegal, and was approximately sixty years after the decision made in Plessy v. Ferguson (“Important Supreme Court Cases”). The Help while the film’s title suggests as “the help” provided from black maids in Jackson, Mississippi to middle class white families.…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Negative Effects Of Affirmative Action
    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Negative Effects Of Affirmative Action

    Affirmative action policies are policies in which an institution or organization actively engages in multiple efforts to improve opportunities for historically marginalized and excluded groups in America (Pojman, 1998). These policies focus on both employment and education. In institutions of higher education, affirmative action refers to admission and recruitment policies that provide equal and equitable access to education for those groups that have been excluded or underrepresented, such as women and racial/ethnic minorities (Coate & Laury, 1993). The controversy surrounding whether or not it is constitutional to implement affirmative action programs, as whether or not these policies help racial relations has been a topic of great debate. Affirmative action was created so that the initial focus solely on improving opportunities for African Americans in employment and education (Coate & Laury, 1993).…

    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings