Affirmative action is a necessary policy because it ensures and increases diversity, higher education needs it, and it increases political power and presence of minorities. Affirmative action ensures and increases diversity. Affirmative action is used to attain several important purposes, with the core foundation being equal opportunities for all Americans. Affirmative action policies support the legal fact that all American citizens are considered equal under the Constitution. Initiatives like targeted recruitment towards underrepresented minorities, such as allowing race and gender to be an additional factor to consider during the admissions and hiring processes, has led to diversification of society. As a result of such initiatives, women …show more content…
Universities have great influence when it comes to the affirmative action debate. The diversity and multiculturalism that exists on college campuses is unmatched in society. Thus, these institutions have the opportunity to push society towards racial justice through affirmative action policies in student admittance and hiring of faculty. The United States Supreme Court has had numerous cases involving such topics concerning affirmative action policies. In Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) and Gratz v. Bollinger (2003), the Court upheld the use of race in admissions to higher education institutions. “Reiterating America’s commitment to affirmative action, the Court concluded that “effective participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups in the civic life of our nation is essential if the dream of one Nation, indivisible, is to be realized” (Opportunity 1). Essentially, this means that higher education institutions have undeniable reasons to strive for affirmative action policies as a means of increasing diversity. This goal often presents itself through intentional recruitment of minorities, whether that be race or gender based. Such a plan is ideal, as it encourages diversification of applicants. In turn, this increases the diversity of the student body. Once those students complete their higher education, society gains a diversified group of graduates that will then diversify the