- 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?
Category Archives: Reading Questions
Reading Questions 4/17
Ace Report: Minorities in Higher Education
The percentage of both Women and Asian Americans obtaining a BA has risen within the last twenty years. What factors do you perceive to be the cause of this change (ie socioeconomic factors, the economy)?
What is College For? The Purpose of Higher Education
The “traditional” college student of one who has just freshly graduated from high school has changed due to several reasons, including the cost of tuition. Do you believe that this change of the traditional college student to be a beneficial or detrimental change to our economy and the future of higher education? Explain.
The implementation of a liberal arts curriculum has declined severely within the last few years. Is liberal arts knowledge crucial in the world we live in today? Do you believe this decline to be part of the knowledge that the payoff of majoring in the Arts and Humanities has declined in the last few years to be part of this change?
There has been an argument that most students who enter college are not “college material” and that “graduate degrees are not worth much.” What can we do to fix this?
Funding has more and more been given out on the basis of merit. As the current economy has cut millions from higher education budgets, how can colleges cater themselves more for students who do not necessarily meet the basis of merit but still want to go to college?
Grutter v. Bollinger Wikipedia Article
Grutter v. Bollinger upheld the affirmative action admissions policy of the University of Michigan Law School. However, this case sparked a lot of concern over the status of higher education and its role in admitting minority students. Do you believe that this case had the right ruling of prolonging affirmative action? Or should they have just ended it then because they are now having multiple court cases that are trying to overturn this ruling?
Justice O’Connor’s Deadline
Colleges clearly want to maintain “black admission,” but the “white average was higher than the black average” on multiple SAT tests over the last ten years. What can educators do to ameliorate this gap?
Michigan: Who Really Won?
Colleges want affirmative action to maintain diversity with the argument of higher education being courageous. Are there other means for higher education to maintain its diversity and courage? Please list and explain.
Post Michigan: How Minority Enrollment Has Changed and U. of Michigan Will Use Application Essays to Help Enroll Diverse Undergraduate Class
The new enrollment policy in the University of Michigan was the implementation of application essays. The problem is that the applicants do not know how to write these essays or approach them, again pointing to a problem with their education as opposed to the college’s administration. What can be done to fix this and make minorities more “college ready?”
Affirmative Action, Innovation and the Financial Future: A Survey of Presidents
“A full 70 % of presidents surveyed agreed or strongly agreed with that statement that the consideration of race in admissions has had a ‘mostly positive effect on higher education generally.’” Now, this statement can be taken many ways. Do you believe, after reading this article, that these presidents mean this honestly or because a greater, more diverse student body means more money coming in from both the government and from donors? Look at how the presidents rated themselves and their opinions about MOOCs for a clearer picture.
Essay on Significance of Supreme Court case on affirmative action
This article introduced the condition statement of “as long as Grutter remains good law.” Do you believe that is was good law in the context of race-conscious admissions practices?
Some Universities Use Race as a Factor. That Could Change.
The argument made in this article from a few weeks ago is that using race as an admissions factor is wrong and that the attention should now shift to merit. Do you believe that this should be the new shift?
The World New II
This article is clearly laced with the opinions of the reporter. What is your opinion of the Fisher v. U. Texas case? Should it have been picked up by the courts, let alone the Supreme Court, in the first place?
The Supreme Court Just Doubled Down on Affirmative Action
Do you think Abigail Fisher was justified in taking her case to court? State your opinion and explain.
Is there any true substance behind her claim? Any true principle?
Supreme Court takes another case involving affirmative action and higher education
With the ruling of the Fisher v. U. Texas case coming in June, how would you, if you were a Supreme Court Justice and after reading all of these articles, rule the case?
U.S. Supreme Court takes on second case of affirmative action, college admissions (poll)
“Americans value diversity, but they value fairness more,” said in regards to affirmative action.
Is this statement true? Give historical events/rulings to validate your opinion.
Michigan Votes Down Affirmative Action
How does affirmative action truly implicate the status of gay rights in America? Give multiple examples to support your claim.
Retreat on Affirmative Action, Proxies for Race, and The Data Plan
Is it necessary to block Proposition 2? Are there other ways for a college to promote diversity?
Short Term Reprieve for Affirmative Action and Century Foundation report advocates class-based affirmative action
Academic freedom is not explicitly stated in our constitution, but the Supreme Court basically made it a right in a ruling in 1957. Do you believe affirmative action directly falls under academic freedom?
Is there validity, in your opinion, in the argument that indirectly creating racial diversity is less efficient and less effective than simply considering race in admissions? Provide proof.
Delay of Affirmative Action Ban Rejected and Appeals Court overturns Michigan ban on affirmative action
Michigan universities were ordered to stop using affirmative action in admissions immediately. How did this affect the admissions cycle and future ones?
Access and Success, Attacking the “Mismatch” Critique of Affirmative Action, and Affirmative Action and University Fit
Can there be a commitment to access without affecting completion rates for minority students? Take in the policies of California, the idea that “affirmative action influences which schools African American students attend, but has only small effects on whether these students attend…,” the theory of “mismatching” and how UC campuses responded to Prop 209 by trying to help more of its students graduate.
Reading Questions 4/17/2013
- 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?
Reading Questions for 4/17
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”?
Questions for 4/16 – Jonathan Edelstein
1. If you had to choose, which would you say is more morally questionable, affirmative action or legacy admissions? Should the SCOTUS also be hearing cases regarding legacy admissions, or are legacy admissions less reprehensible because there is no racial discrimination per se?
2. Some colleges have informal deals with elite prep schools and usually consistently accept a certain number of students. On the one hand, this lends some sort of predictably for the colleges regarding the incoming class, but is this kind of policy really a meritocracy? Should this kind of policy be legal because it’s not based on race?
3. How far should colleges go to make up for perceived inequalities, and who should be the one making these decisions? For instance, a recent study determined that children with divorced parents on average have lower grades. Should these students receive preferential treatment? What about students who live under constant bickering by parents? What about a student with a demonstrable low IQ score? Is there any way we can fairly decide where to set the line for helping students, or should we just come to the reality that life isn’t fair, and attempt to rectify these differences much earlier than college?
4. It has been proposed that colleges should consider income diversity as they do racial diversity. How can colleges “equally” consider different kinds of diversity? Isn’t a holistic diversity admissions process too subjective, and in the absence of transparent oversight, difficult to enforce?
5. I think everyone would agree that the issue of affirmative action is a complex one and that intellectually sound arguments can be made for and against it. Therefore, shouldn’t a ballot referendum have the power to decide the legality of affirmative action, as was attempted in Michigan? Shouldn’t the people have the power to decide to end a practice if that practice is perceived to be discriminatory, and stopping such a practice would not be discriminatory?
6. It has been suggested that affirmative action should be banned from school that are already considered diverse. What would happen if these schools become less diverse again in the future. Should those schools consistently be audited for diversity and allowed to use affirmative action again when they fail their diversity requirements?
Questions for 4/16/13
1. According to the ACE report the number of minorities enrolling in Higher Education is extremely low compared to the number of whites. Is this due to high school completion, cost of higher education, or other factors? In this case, is affirmative action justified?
2. With more college students needing to work part or full time jobs to support themselves through education, is college naturally geared against those of a lower income? Should the government increase financial aid benefits to offset this issue? How do we “fix” this inequality if we can at all?
3. With over 40% of people who cycle in and out of college changing universities, is a system like Pathways (universal across campuses) a good idea? Should there be a universal core curriculum taught throughout the nation to accompany those who cycle in and out? If not, how do we compensate for those classes being counted as credits?
4. Should Affirmative Action still be used or should all college admissions be based on merit? If they are merit based, how do we account for those who are from lower classes or lower incomes who may not have the money for SAT test prep, or to go to a better school in a better area. How do we control for these disparities? Is there another way to admit those students such as an income based affirmative action?
Reading Questions 4/17/13
1. Do you think that institutions of HE actually care about diversity and affirmative action or is it all just for PR?
2. Do you think that the system of affirmative action needs to be changed to not just include race but to also consider socio-economic standing?
3. Since affirmative action acts as a quota system, do you feel that the system should be extended to corporations and businesses? Should employers set aside jobs for minorities as well? Where should the line be drawn?
4. Affirmative actions helps minorities get access to HE but should affirmative action be applied earlier? Is waiting for college too late?
5. In states that have banned affirmative action, do you feel that the institutions still hold a responsibility to achieve diversity on their campuses?
6. Do you think that affirmative action would work better if it was applied to certain high schools so that minorities would have the same access to education beforehand and then colleges could base admission on merit and disregard the factor of race?
Access Reading Questions 4/17 – Will Lorenzo
1. What would happen if the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action? How would higher education in America change?
2. Why is it that certain universities place a person’s race above another’s merit? In this regard, can affirmative action be seen as reverse discrimination?
3. Why is affirmative action steeped solely in race, and not in income? Shouldn’t poor white people who couldn’t afford good secondary education also have a chance at getting into a school not based solely on merit?
4. Why do colleges today feel that a student population’s diversity is the most important aspect of their image? Shouldn’t other factors play a larger role than race? Why is race seen as more important than merit by many institutions today?
5. With affirmative action (and other methods) being a way for people to easily get into a school (sans merit), does this effectively diminish the reputation of an undergraduate degree? Can this be seen as one of the reasons for the recent notion that a person needs a graduate degree to succeed in contemporary America?
Reading Questions 4/17
1. Do MOOCs have the possible effect of allowing access to higher education to anyone who seeks it?
2. Can MOOCs be used to decrease the gaps between students that occur in K-12 schools, and help to prepare and level the playing field for underprivileged students?
3. Is ethnic diversity necessary for a college? What benefits does ethnic diversity hold over merit based admissions and socioeconomic diversity?
4. At what point does affirmative action limit access to those who deserve it more based on merit, abilities, and rates of completion? Is affirmative action working, or is it making it harder for more qualified individuals to go to school based on race, by letting in less qualified individuals?
5. If there is a gap between ethnicities applying to college, isn’t affirmative action a K-12 problem, where those schools need to be more diverse, allowing students from all backgrounds to get the same education and graduate on the same level? Would increasing diversity in K-12 schools solve this problem better than at the college level?
Questions for 4/17/13
1. What are some reasons why college presidents might not see MOOCs as something that could contribute to higher education in a large way?
2. Does class based affirmative action, in today’s economy, seem to cost too much to already underfunded schools, and are there any alternatives that could be used instead of socioeconomic background as a means of admission?
3. Sustainability in universities financially would enable greater funds to be given towards helping underrepresented students. However, many universities have issues, especially with lowering or controlling costs. What are some ways for universities to become more financially sustainable?
4. Have imbalances between working and receiving financial aid canceled the balance to democratic higher education that affirmative action was supposed to bring?
5. Are the policies that punish colleges for low 4-year degree completion rates, and thus encouraging colleges to aim for wealthier students, the main reason for mission creep?
6. What is the ultimate goal or expectation of affirmative action? Is it to bring all people to the middle class or in a stable living situation, or is it to racially balance the unstable living situations? Will providing extra help to those who are most needy financially negatively impact those students that do not receive as much or any help, and leave the issue unsolved?
7. Often, students that are chosen based more on race or class than merit are not prepared for higher education? What are some ways that the university can prevent a lack of preparedness and prevent dropping out?
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