It is unfair to white students to have their chances of admission lessened because of their skin color. Even more so, it is degrading to minority students to imply that they need a boost simply because of their race.
| Author: | Mac McCann |
| Category: | News - Campus |
| Posted On: | Oct 9, 2012 |
| Last Update: | Feb 1, 2013 |
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illustration by Matt Portillo
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OP-ED: Support equality, end affirmative action
The Horn's Supreme Sound Off series, produced in partnership with HuffPost College, features opinions from various UT-Austin students regarding affirmative action and race-based admissions policies. This Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for Abigail Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin."
| illustration by Matt Portillo |
This opinion piece comes from Mac McCann, UT freshman and Public Relations Director for Libertarian Longhorns
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Diversity is one the many things that makes America so great. More than a nationality, being American is an idea. We must try our best as a nation to live up to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of a country where people “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
In Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, the question is not just one of college admissions, but of our very belief in equality. Racism is a form of stupidity that should have no place in education. Regardless of the intentions, choosing one applicant over another based on their skin color — even if only one factor of the decision — is indeed racism.
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It is unfair to white students to have their chances of admission lessened because of their skin color. Even more so, it is degrading to minority students to imply that they need a boost simply because of their race.
While racism is still a very serious problem in America, institutionalizing racial differences in our public universities is an embarrassment to anyone who believes in equality. Our schools, more than any other institution, should judge us by the content of our character and not the color of our skin.
According to The New York Times, studies have shown that ugly people are discriminated against; for example, they make less money over their lifetimes than their peers. One’s attractiveness, or lack thereof, is something you don’t choose — just like race. Should we provide special treatment for less attractive applicants?
As a believer in equality, I hope that the Supreme Court overturns the 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger ruling, which ruled that as long as other factors were taken into account, race could be used a factor in the admissions process. Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin will be a historic decision. Let’s hope it falls on the side of equality.
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