Affirmative Action in Higher Education in Texas

Pages:

4

Academic Level:

University

Paper Type:

Annotated Bibliography

Discipline:

Law

The informative essay is worth 100 points. The essay must be 3-4 pages in length, double-spaced, following MLA format. An essay of 3-4 pages should be at least 1050-1400 words. Make sure that you include the word count with your essay.

The essay should consist of an introduction, body, and conclusion. A thesis statement is required in the introduction of the essay and the outline. The essay must also include an outline, and a works cited page, which are in addition to the three pages of text. Also, make sure to use parenthetical references when crediting outside sources. Students must have at least five credible sources listed on the citation page. Be sure to present the latest research on the topic.

The objective of writing an informative essay is to inform or educate the reader on a particular topic, imparting knowledge in a logical, systematic manner. While writing an informative essay you should assume the reader does not have a basic knowledge of the topic. Do not inject yourself into the paper, it is not about providing your view or opinion of the topic.

The topic for the informative essay is “Affirmative Action in Higher Education in Texas.” Be sure to include a definition of affirmative action; discussion of at least three arguments for affirmative action, and at least three arguments against affirmative action; an examination of the Texas Top Ten Percent Plan and its effectiveness; and a brief overview of three Texas court cases, and two federal court cases, related to the constitutionality of affirmative action in higher education.

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course Code

Date

Affirmative Action in Higher Education in Texas

Introduction

In diverse states like Texas, higher education might involve unlawful discrimination against students from the minority populations. This gives learning institutions the power to consider a student's race and ethnicity as a primary factor in admissions. Since the United States Constitution does not allow discrimination against individuals regarding race and ethnicity, local governments like California and Texas have implemented affirmative actions to allow every individual an equal chance to attain quality education. As a result of the policies and steps taken by the Texas government to increase the enrolment of minority students in higher education, majority of higher learning institutions have registered an increased number of students from the disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Arguments For

The abolition of unlawful insight among students in higher schooling in Texas has benefited students due to diversity. Arcidiacono et al. claim that diversity in higher education enhances the educational experiences of all students (489). This creates racially integrated classrooms that significantly improve satisfaction, reduce students’ racial bias, enhance leadership skills, and improve intellectual self-confidence. Students benefit from the above and are better prepared to work in a diverse global economy. Additionally, since the United States is diverse, they will be able to interact and bond with employees and employers in different industries. As a result, they will have increased productivity, teamwork, and effectiveness.

In Texas, students from the minority population have been underrepresented in higher education for a long time. Implementing affirmative action in the state will reduce the disparity in student enrollment in higher education. Equity will be promoted if such a practice is observed in all higher learning institutions. Moreover, affirmative action promotes social mobility. Since students of color are referred to as low-income students, promoting affirmative action ensures all students benefit from the advantages that selective higher learning institutions offer (Glasener et al. 3). This is possible if higher learning institutions disregard students' privilege, wealth, and background. For the above to happen, the Texas government needs to promote policies that encourage the inclusion of the monitory in all establishments, followed by public awareness of the importance of cultural diversity. This will help eliminate any preserved opinions or stereotypes against people from the minority, allowing them to enjoy public goods and participate in the economy's growth.

Arguments Against

Affirmative action is considered to give special privileges to students from minority populations. This is an injustice since every student is supposed to work hard to be successful in their academic work. The fact that the minority students are given special treatment to join higher education, they are perceived to be too lazy to succeed in their academics or find employment on their own. Additionally, promoting affirmative action means that students admitted through the process might not be equipped to perform (Hirschman and Berrey 452). This means that since their success is low, they might not have the push to further their careers or improve their grades since they think the same will be done in employment. For instance, if the admission grade is 5, students from the minority populations might fail to put effort into their academics since they know that they can be admitted to best-performing institutions with a lower grade through affirmative action.

Lastly, affirmative action is associated with race. This means that higher education institutions are admitting students based on their racial backgrounds, which is self-indulgent. Students need to be admitted to higher education establishments based on their academic performances and not appearances. This allows every student to work hard and compete with others without considering the possibility of gaining an advantage in higher education. This translates to incentivizing education on the part of the minority, which creates inequalities in education. Education in any region should be neutral to allow every student to find their paths in life based on their success.

Texas Top Ten Percent Plan

This plan guarantees admission of students in the top 10% of their high school to any public higher education institution in the state (Conger 145). Additionally, the plan recommends that the remaining spots be considered for other students based on factors like race. This plan is effective since it allows students from traditionally underrepresented schools to get a chance in higher education. As a result, students like Latinos who feel left out can apply for higher education based on their performance in their respective high schools. Although this plan is effective, it might fail to attain the diversity level expected by affirmative action as the minority students might outnumber the majority, creating a diversity gap.

Court Cases

Fisher tried to challenge the University of Texas's affirmative action program that encouraged race-sensible admissions. After the case was appealed, the Fifth Circuit Courts upheld previous court decisions that the admission program was legal under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (Cornell Law School). From the above lawsuit, the court reaffirmed that racial categories, under affirmative action, can be deployed to serve the state's interests. In another case involving Hopwood v. Texas, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the University of Texas School of Law was in violation of the rights to non-minority applicants (Justia). This was in agreement with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Grutter v. Bollinger case involved the affirmative action of the University of Michigan Law School and tackled by the Supreme Court. From the case, Grutter was denied admission depite having the required grade. As Carter and Lippard suggest, despite the Supreme Court allowing the use of racial preference as a way of promoting diversity, it was unlawful to deny Grutter a chance within the institution (117). In the Regents of University of California v. Bakke case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bakke (Arthur and Shapiro 137). This means that the Supreme Court did not recognize the university’s use of racial quotas in the admission process since they violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (Arthur and Shapiro 139). However, in certain circumstances, the university’s use of affirmative action to accept an increased number of minority students from underprivileged neighborhoods was constitutional.

Conclusion

In Texas, affirmative action in higher education is a gain to students and society. Therefore, higher education establishments need to create effective affirmative achievement plans in devotion to the United States Constitution to abolish unlawful judgement in the admission procedure. From the above court cases, it is clear that the federal and state courts defend the constitution's requirements regarding the use of affirmative action in higher education. Hence, there will be greater equity in admissions, promotion of social mobility, and equal representation of populations in society and the workplace. This will promote cultural knowledge and awareness, creating an environment where everyone matters.

Works Cited

Arcidiacono, Peter, Michael Lovenheim, and Maria Zhu. "Affirmative action in undergraduate education." Annu. Rev. Econ. 7.1 (2015): 487-518.

Arthur, John, and Amy Shapiro. "Affirmative Action in Universities: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke." Campus Wars. Routledge, 2021. 137-143.

Carter, J. Scott, and Cameron D. Lippard. "Case Study 1: The Gratz and Grutter Supreme Court Cases against the University of Michigan." The Death of Affirmative Action? Bristol University Press, 2020. 115-154.

Conger, Dylan. "High school grades, admissions policies, and the gender gap in college enrollment." Economics of Education Review 46 (2015): 144-147.

Cornell Law School. "FISHER V. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. " LII / Legal Information Institute, 2013, https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/11-345

Glasener, Kristen M., Christian A. Martell, and Julie R. Posselt. "Framing diversity: Examining the place of race in institutional policy and practice post-affirmative action." Journal of Diversity in Higher Education 12.1 (2019): 3.

Hirschman, Daniel, and Ellen Berrey. "The partial deinstitutionalization of affirmative action in US higher education, 1988 to 2014." Sociological Science 4 (2017): 449-468.

Justia. "Hopwood V. Texas, 78 F.3D 932 (5Th Cir. 1996)". Justia Law, n.d., https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/78/932/504514/