Many institutions in Higher Education attempt to create at least a semblance of diversity through affirmative action because minorities tend to be in worse social and economic situations in the United States and admitting more from their ranks theoretically would help change this situation. Yet, who are these minority students who get into the top notch institutions? Are they actually the poor and downtrodden from the lowest economic bracket?

The Federal Statistics note that at least percentage-wise, there has been an enormous increase in foreign students in the US. The data in that article put foreigners in separate categories from African, Asian, Hispanic, or White Americans. Do other statistics that measure diversity separate these categories? Can excepting rich members of the elites of other countries, who maybe ethnically a minority in the US, skew the statistics in creating a semblance of progressive diversity?

Some articles argued for the economic class to replace race in affirmative action. At current tuition rates, would that really make a difference? If the poor cannot afford college, they may simply not go even when accepted.

All throughout the reading there is great skepticism about the willingness and/or ability of the state and federal governments of the US to help even state institutions financially or regulate them effectively. What needs to change for this to happen?

The military was not mentioned in most (unless I missed it, all) of the articles. Yet, it provides a way for many people from not particularly privileged backgrounds to attain higher education at affordable levels (admittedly with the very real risk of suffering PTSD in the process). What role does this in a way backdoor help from the federal government in shaping higher education? Could increasing this role be a possible way of compromising liberal economic and social economic views of the situation in HE?

For Ace

Is high school education preparing us for college, particularly with regards to poorer areas and states? Why do we feel an obligation to uphold affirmative action even today?

For Lederman

What are the negative effects of affirmative action? Is it unrealistic to impose restrictions on the current policies as the belt straps tighten and admission in general becomes more competitive?

For Lavin

The definition of undergraduate is changing: more and more they are working jobs and supporting themselves for the most part. As the financial burden becomes more strenuous on parents, students are more expected to hold their own. How is this affecting their ability to study?

For Grutter

What could the possible “social implications” of affirmative action be? Looking at the dissenting opinion, in reference to the state of California, is it necessary to for “elitism” to look at all prospects rather than focus on minority numbers?

-Alannah Fehrenbach

1. Why do government policies mostly reflect the concerns of the “stereotypical” kind of student (full-time student living in a dorm on a college campus, financially supported by parents), when they have become a numerical minority?

2. Do you think it is a good idea for students to work (whether it be out of choice or necessity) at the same time that they go to college? Is there any way (i.e. programs available, advisement) colleges can assist students in this type of situation? Do you think it’s smarter for these students to take out loans, so that they can focus more on their studies, or do you think they should work so that they can take care of some of the financial burden?

3. Why do you think so many students delay going to college after high school? Do you think this is a good idea to take this gap year between high school and college? What can students do during this gap year to prepare them for college that they would otherwise be missing had they not taken the gap year?

4.Why is it that only half of the students who start off their college career in 2-year colleges and aspire to 4-year degree actually transfer successfully?

5. Is it truly fair to measure the performance rate of a school (whether the school is perfoming well or badly) by using the school’s graduation rates, considering the fact that there are so many factors that can affect graduation rates, such as cycling in and out of college, attending part-time, and transferring from one college to another for financial reasons/familial circumstances? Is it fair for policy makers to reward shorter “time-to-degree” students and put such a heavy emphasis on higher institutional graduation rates? Does it seem that they are serving the more affluent students and paying less attention to low-income and minority students?

6. Instead of looking to an institution’s graduation rates as an objective measure of students’ college performance, what other measures can be used in its place?

7. Undergraduates across the social class and institutional spectrum see college as a key step toward finding a well-paying job, and so many students pick their majors with their careers in mind.  Even among private liberal arts colleges, there is no strong preference toward academic/liberal arts majors. Do you think liberal arts major will continue to decline in the future? Does having a liberal arts and humanities-oriented major serve as a disadvantage or an advantage in attaining a career? How so? What types of students tend to choice career vs. academic majors?

8. What would be some of the consequence of rolling back broad access to higher education?

9. Why is it that degree completion rates at less selective colleges are low; and that the majority of students do not complete a degree, whether at the associates or bachelor’s level? Does this relate to the type of curriculum offered at these less selective colleges? Should students in less selective colleges take an entry to college exam test their skills, and should those that fall below be required to take remedial or developmental coursework before proceeding to college-level courses?

10. With regards to affirmative action, do you think it would be best for the court to uphold the current affirmative action law, “impose modest limits on the consideration of race in the admission process,” or “impose major limits” on the use of race in admissions? Why?

11. Why do presidents have a significantly more favorable view about the upside of the prior learning assessment, competency-based academic credit, and adaptive learning than they do about MOOCs?

12. Why is it that private college presidents (36%) were twice as likely to support the elimination of merit-based aid than were those at public institutions (16%)? Should financial aid focus on the neediest students?

13. What are the social implications of changing the definition of affirmative action from correcting the effect of historic discrimination to, as Justice O’Conner stated in the Grutter v. Bollinger case, “obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body?”

• Attewell, P. and Lavin, D. E (2012) The other 75%: College education beyond the elite, ch 4 in E..C. Langermann and H. Lewis, What is College for?: The Public Purpose of Higher Education. New York: Teacher’s College Press.
  Currently, there are 17 million undergraduates in the United States and the number is expected to reach 19 million by 2019.  With the growing enrollment rate in America, is it beneficial for colleges and its students to limit accessibility in order to create a proper learning environment?  One states, “Because of downgrading that has occurred among students, college degrees are not worth much anymore” (96). However, another states that, “Open access earned 41 billion dollars more in the year 2000 than it would have earned if broad access were rolled back” (98).
• Why do you think women, and especially the Hispanic minority, have showed the most drastic change in regards to college enrollment?
• Lederman, D. (2013) Affirmative Action, Innovation and the Financial Future: A survey of presidents. Inside Higher Ed, March 1.
  “7 in 10 presidents said their institutions would face budget shortfalls and increased competition for students this year, in a climate of cutbacks of state and federal aid” (2).  How would reducing student enrollment help fund the institution’s budget?
• Do you agree with O’Connor’s decision or do you side with Justice Thomas’ dissent that Michigan could not remain a prestigious institution and admits students under a race-neutral system?
• Bundle 1: The case of Grutter vs. the University of Michigan
  The two researchers say that even with the growing income of blacks, they are unlikely to produce the kind of impact that would be needed to do away with affirmative action and preserve the black enrollment levels that colleges want to maintain. “Income changes alone aren’t going to close the gap, even with generous assumption.” However, what if being admitted to college will help close the income gap instead of reversing the cause and effect by trying to increase income in order to close the college enrollment racial gap?
• If Justice O’Connor realizes that racial preferences should not be given in 25 years from now, then why not implement a racial-neutral practice as soon as possible since the legality of it would still be questioned in 25 years?
• Do you think affirmative would give preferences to racial minority or lead to their disadvantage?

• Is it realistic for students to take on jobs and other big financial responsibilities while pursuing an undergraduate degree?
• Are the college students that stray from the traditional college experience more “ready” for real life experiences than students who go through the traditional college experience? Some may argue that they do not because they are still living at home and rely on their parents for some basic necessities.
• Why do students who come from more affluent families tend to pursue less “career orientated” majors?
• Has financial aid shifted toward more merit based students? Is there still room for lower income students to receive financial aid?
• Why do the minority groups show the largest gender gaps in college? Do women in these groups feel that education is their best way to acquire a job in the workforce? Do the men feel that they don’t need an undergraduate education to get a job?
• Should race be a factor in determining who goes to a certain college? Are some racial groups harmed by this admission factor?
• The Grutter vs. Billinger case reiterates the idea that race will not be a factor in admitting students, 25 years from now. What do they mean when they say this? Are they implying that minority groups will have higher statistics or that  the racial breakdown in schools will be equal?
• Why is affirmative action attacked so much? Why aren’t people who make very generous donations to universities, or have legacy attacked as much as minorities in terms of college admissions? Why shouldn’t minority groups be given the chance to go to prestigious universities? 

1. Why do we place so much value on graduation rates as a measure of a college’s success if they don’t tell us the whole educational picture?
2. Do the educational benefits of diversity validate the idea of a quota system?
3. Could an institution’s mission affect how that institution approaches the demographics of its student body?
4. How does gender affect the idea of diversity and an institution’s quota system?
5. Affirmative action has the potential to push students of a certain group to institutions that they aren’t academically ready for, thus creating a problem not in access to higher education, but completion. How could admissions be changed to combat this “false sense of opportunity”?