While seemingly harsh, does Justice Scalia's observation have merit?

Sgt Spencer Sikder — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 09:44:19 -0500

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/affirmative-action-at-universities-in-doubt-as-us-supreme-court-hears-arguments/ar-AAgdn4o?ocid=spartanntp

Or is there a bigger picture of having a balanced learning experience with a diversified classroom? Are higher tier educational institutions creating/fostering classism?

Affirmative action at universities in doubt as US Supreme Court hears arguments

The future of affirmative action at public universities appeared in some doubt Wednesday as the Supreme Court justices debated for a second time whether to strike down a race-based admissions policy at the University of Texas.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2015 9:52 AM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 09:52:12 -0500

Affirmative action doesn't work. You go to a national park and they say don't feed the animals. Why? Because if an animal doesn't have to work for food, they'll come back to the same place looking for the same food and become dependent on it. Come winter time when no one is visiting the park, the animal starves because it forgot how to hunt for food or sat there and waited for someone to feed it. The same goes for people. You have to work for it.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2015 11:11 AM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 11:11:45 -0500

What should happen is students who apply to a university are given an application number and all gender/ethnic/disability information is stripped and admissions personnel are only given a list of accomplishments and that number to make their decision. Like the article says, Texas has a similar law where the top 10% of students from graduating high school classes are guaranteed admission solely based on their grades, which is a good thing.

I think that Scalia took the wrong approach when he said that "it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas, where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less advanced school, a slower-track school, where they do well". Because of course you can make the argument that that is A: not true for all African-American students, and B: also true for every student. Some students just will not excel in college, but to use that argument sheds an unfair light on the current situation as far as minority students are concerned.

Bottom-line: college (and career progression for that matter) should be merit based.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2015 11:18 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 11:18:47 -0500

I find Justice Scalia's assertion that minority students can't thrive in an advanced school revolting.
Having said that, I will say this, philosophically:
If some students get to enter into a school not due to their merits, but due to the color of their skin, are they truly being treated equally?

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Dec 10 at 2015 2:56 PM

SGT Jerrold Pesz — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 14:56:51 -0500

It does seem harsh but what he says is true. It is also the same argument that minority groups used when politicians tried unsuccessfully to merge a majority black state university with my school on a couple of occasions. Seemed logical since the campuses are across the street from each other. It was the minority advocates that refused to go along.