Affirmative Action vs Asian Americans

Since the beginning of my college search, affirmative action was a term I frequently came across during the process. In 1961, President Nixon issued a provision in which government contractors “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin”, and it has since been amended to include sex.

Many people believe America to be the “land of equal opportunity,” meaning that if one were to work hard enough, he or she could be as successful as others. However, that is often not the case; moreover, in a system separated by class and wealth, there is no doubt that certain individuals are given various advantages on the path to success. In an attempt to provide equal opportunity in regards to race, on the other hand, affirmative action has been instituted in many universities’ application processes. This ensures that anyone who identifies as a racial minority is given special opportunities or favored consideration in education and the workforce. To the right is a graph that displays data collected by the National Study of College Experience. In the graph, a trend that black and hispanic applicants are given a small boost compared to white applicants is identified. In addition, a penalty is given to Asian Americans compared to white applicants’ scores. This implies that if a black person scored a 1100, a Hispanic person scored a 1280, a white person scored a 1410, and an Asian person scored a 1550, all respective applicants would have an equal chance of admission into that university without reference to any other criteria influencing the decision. im

While this may be a step towards resolving racial inequality, affirmative action promotes it at the same time too. In 2006, an investigation opened on Princeton University’s bias against Asian Americans in the application process. This case continued under nine years until 2015 when the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights cleared Princeton University’s charges. In Princeton’s defense, it had always adhered to the Supreme Court’s rulings and in no way limited Asian Americans by their race. According to Princeton, they receive so many applicants each year that they have no choice but to reject many stellar or even perfect applications—and some of those applications included are Asian Americans. To many competitive universities, there is little concrete evidence of discrimination of applicants, but that does not mean they do not have reason to.

Diversity unquestionably plays an important role to colleges. Although sometimes overlooked, embracing multiculturalism on a college campus is perceived as welcoming and open. For example, Penn State, infamously known for its label as a P.W.I (Public White Institution), initiated a four goal action plan to improving diversity on campus. This plan, beginning in 2016, hopes to:

1. Create a Welcoming and Inclusive Campus Climate
2. Advance and Build a Diverse Student Body
3. Advance and Build a Diverse Workforce and Management
4. Develop a Curriculum That Fosters United States and International Cultural Competencies

Harvard University is currently under fire in a lawsuit similar to that of Princeton’s. Fortunately, some students of the school openly support affirmative action. For instance, Sarah Cole, an African American student, stated that “to not see my race is to not see me.” Another student, Thang Diep, announced that he supports affirmative action because it allowed his immigration history to be recognized. However, even though the discrimination trial itself is over, the lawsuit will likely persevere for years to come, like in the Princeton case.

Sociology 119, one of Penn State’s most notable and largest lectures, speaks about this topic every year. Last semester, when I was in the class, Sam Richards, the professor, asked the class if they thought Asian Americans have a harder time getting accepted into college. I recall each person who said that he or she believes that it is not harder for Asian Americans to get into college was a white person; contrarily, each person who said that he or she believes that it IS harder for Asian Americans to get into college was a colored person (with a few white people). I think that this is due to the significant role affirmative action plays in the lives of people like myself and people of other minority groups. When people apply to college 0r for a new  job, it is helpful to know what affirmative action is and how it may affect you.

I identify myself as Asian American, and I personally do not side with affirmative action. I believe that there is more to a person than race, and that there are more relevant aspects that should influence decisions rather than the features with which someone is born. What is your perspective on affirmative action and what can be done to improve it (if anything)?

 

Sources:

“A Brief History of Affirmative Action.” OEOD, www.oeod.uci.edu/policies/aa_history.php.

Jung, Carrie. “Harvard Discrimination Trial Ends, But Lawsuit Is Far From Over.” NPR, NPR, 2 Nov. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/11/02/660734399/harvard-discrimination-trial-is-ending-but-lawsuit-is-far-from-over.

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2017/08/07/look-data-and-arguments-about-asian-americans-and-admissions-elite