Essay on Untitled

Untitled Term Papers

While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (untitled)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!

Affirmative Action


Affirmative Action as defined by the Meriam Webster's Dictionary is an active

effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members

of minority groups or women.


In 1961 John F.Kennedy issued an executive order calling for Affirmative

Action as a means to promote equal opportunity for racial minorities, in

hiring by federal contractors. This was the first official use of the term

by the Federal Government. Eight years later Nixon as President beefed up

the Office of Federal Compliance Programs, which along with the Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission has become one of the governments two main enforcers

of affirmative action policy.(Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia, 1993)


Such efforts have vastly expanded opportunities for Afro-Americans. However

they have also touched off complaints from many whites that Afro-Americans

are benefiting from reverse discrimination. Under the equal opportunity act

of 1972 most federal contractors, subcontractors, all state and government

institutions (including universities) must initiate plans to increase the

proportions of their female and minority employees until they are equal to

the proportions existing in the available labor market.(Grolier's Electric

Encyclopedia, 1993)


Affirmative action plans that establish racial quotas were declared

unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the case of University of California

VS. Bakke in 1978. This case arose when the medical school of the University

of California at Davis twice rejected Allen Bakke's application while admitting

members of racial minorities who had lower test scores. Bakke charged that

the medical school's policy of setting aside 16 of the 100 positions for

racial minorities was a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th

amendment. In a complex 5-4 decision the Supreme Court ordered that Bakke

be admitted. The court ruled that even though universities may consider race

and ethnic origins as a factor in evaluating candidates for admission, they

may not establish fixed racial quotas.(Time Magazine, May 27 1991, pp.22)


The decision was, however upheld in the case of Private Business and Unions

in United Steelworkers of America vs. Webber in 1979. This case arose when

Brian F. Webber sued Kaiser Aluminum and the United Steelworkers of America

for setting aside half of the positions in a training program for minority

workers with less seniority. The Supreme Court overruled this case by a 5-2

vote holding that the Kaiser program did not violate title VII of the civil

rights act of 1964. The ruling was that, private employers could voluntarily

adopt plans designed to eliminate conspicuous racial imbalance in traditionally

segregated job categories. Then in 1984 and 1986 the justices ruled against

upsetting seniority systems in favor of minorities.(Harper's Magazine, July

1991, pp.27)


In 1984 the Supreme Court struck down a Richmond ordinance intended to quarntee

Afro-Americans and other minorities a greater share of the city's construction

contracts. The decision not only threatened similar programs in 36 states,

but also opened the door to legal attacks against other racially based government

schemes. A key component of the court ruling was the requirement that all

government distinctions based on race be subject to "strict scrutiny." This

means that public sector affirmative action programs are valid only if they

serve the compelling state interest of redressing identified discrimination.(Time

Magazine, February 6 1989, pp.60)


Affirmative action has moved to the forefront of public debate in recent

months with a proposed California ballot initiative that would end many

race-based preference programs. The University of California itself has become

the focus of debate after Ward Connerly, a Regent for the University of

California system called for an end to such preferences in admissions. The

Chancellor of UCLA Charles E. Young, quickly took a strong stand against

Mr. Connerly, saying that affirmative action had benefited the university

and should continue.(NY.Times, June 4 1995, pp.22)


The University Of California at Berkeley campus was among the first of the

nations' leading universities to embrace the elements of affirmative action

in it's admissions policies, and now boasts that it has one of the most diverse

campuses in America, with whites accounting for only 32% of the student body.

However Berkeley may soon become one of the first campuses in the nation

to abandon the cornerstone of affirmative action in higher education. The

University Board of Regents expects to consider a proposal to prohibit the

use of race and ethnicity as factors for admissions.(NY. Times, June 4 1995,

pp.23)


Then on Thursday July 8, 1995, the California University System Board of

Regents adopted a plan to dismantle affirmative action plans within the

university system.


Effective January 1, 1997, the University of California system shall not

use race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin as a criterion

for admission to the University or any program of study. The following is

a brief excerpt from the resolution: The president shall confer with the

Academic Senate of the University of California to develop supplemental criteria

for consideration by the board of regents. . . In developing such criteria,

which shall provide reasonable assurances that the applicant will successfully

complete his or her course of study, consideration...

The rest of the paper is available free of charge to our registered users. The registration process just couldn't be easier. Log in or register now. It is all free!
You should cite this paper as follows:

MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 10 Feb, 2012 from
    <http://essaymania.com/149628/untitled>

More College Papers

untitled
Massive black rebellions, constant strikes, gigantic anti-war demonstrations, draft resistance, Cuba, Vietnam, Algeria, a cultural revolution of seven hundred million Chinese, occupations, red power, the rising of women, disobedience and sabotage, communes & marijuana: amongst this c

untitled
Richard Nixon and the Notion of Presidential Power

“Actions which otherwise would be unconstitutional, could become lawful if undertaken for the purpose of preserving the Constitution and the Nation.” The idea that certain actions are not illegal if used to preserve

untitled
In this discussion I call upon two movies as examples and evidence to examine the role of mass media in politics. The two movies I will use for this basis are The Candidate and All the Presidents Men.

Today, the art of governing a society seems to be much dictated or prescribed