[{"msgID":"95","topic":"Affirmative Action","message":"I believe that university admissions should take into account racial and gender characteristics, but these characteristics should not be the overriding factors.  \/ The Grutter v. Bollinger case states that Barbara is rejected entrance into Michigan Law School because other applicants were given unfair advantage due to race. The supreme court rules that the University of Michigan can have the right to give preferential treatment to minority students. \/ I believe that special treatment to gender and racial minority students is necessary, but to a certain extent that other students would not feel mistreated and they become the next \"\"minorities.\"\"","count":"6","completed":"5"},{"msgID":"347","topic":"Affirmative Action","message":"I feel that it would be unfair for university admissions to completely ignore race or gender during the process of admission. Although it may put some students at a disadvantage, I feel that it is necessary for universities to recognize people as unique. If colleges were to disregard these kinds of characteristics, they would be also turning a blind eye to the experiences and possibly the hardships that may have been a result of an applicant's background. While it may seem that some students receive special treatment due to race or gender. I think such allowances are typically justified given the fact that some people are naturally disadvantaged and require this slight boost to be put in the same playing field as most other applicants who have not had to deal with gender\/race oriented difficultly throughout their young lives. In my college application process I felt that some students got into schools that I did not because of a factor such as gender or race, but I understand the logic behind this and was not overly upset by such results. ","count":"6","completed":"5"},{"msgID":"246","topic":"Affirmative Action","message":"As I recently underwent the college admissions process, it was difficult for me to grapple with the idea of Affirmative Action. On one hand, I felt that it gave the opportunity for students from less fortunate backgrounds to attend universities and further their education. On the other hand, my demographic was severely negatively affected by this policy. As an over represented minority, it was materially more difficult for me to gain admission to the best schools in the country, leaving me somewhat spiteful of this admissions policy. I personally believe that college admission preferences should be based on socioeconomic class, in which students of less fortunate backgrounds (in any race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) can be acknowledged as having gone through a considerably more difficult journey. Therefore, I'm somewhat neutral on the issue - while it has negatively affected me, I see merit in its true purpose, but believe it can be done in a better way. \/ ","count":"6","completed":"6"},{"msgID":"81","topic":"Affirmative Action","message":"I think it is very important to have a diverse student body, and that may not be accomplished if gender and racial characteristics aren't considered. Furthermore, there are groups of minorities that generally do have as much opportunity or come from a lower socioeconomic status, so it might not be the best idea to compare all students based purely on grades and test scores. I do believe, however, that socioeconomic status should be considered more than gender or race. This factor is more defining in the opportunities someone has had. For example, I'm a woman and a minority, but I come from a higher socioeconomic status, so I shouldn't be given any type of special consideration. Overall, however, looking at gender and diversity is important just to ensure that a university ends up with a more diverse student body.","count":"6","completed":"5"}]