G1 Ten Links

http://www.jofreeman.com/womensociety/institidiscrim.htm

This source is the text of a lecture, delivered several times during the 1970s by renowned feminist Jo Freeman, covering the meaning and the prevalence of institutional discrimination. The lecture is found on Jo Freeman’s website under the category of “Women in Society.” The website is a compilation of articles written by Freeman throughout her career. This source falls into the citizen category because it puts forth an opinion on the issue of affirmative action, instead of an objective analysis. Also, the lecture is rooted mostly in assumptions, and doesn’t depend on factual evidence. Despite the lack of statistical references, this speech is a useful source because it illustrates a fundamental premise behind affirmative action programs. Freeman argues throughout the lecture that deep-seeded discrimination existed in the recruitment processes of institutions, and claimed that more would need to done in order to eradicate it. She points to social networks, notions of merit, and repercussions from past inequalities as proof of the continued institutional discrimination across all industries. This speech can serve as an example of the arguments used in the 60s and 70s to validate the enactment of affirmative action programs. Moreover, many of the arguments in the speech still hold weight today, and thus can accurately portray the opposition to a reduction or ban of these programs.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/02/admit

This source is an article reporting on private liberal arts schools that, in an effort to deal with the growing majority of female students on campus, have begun to offer preferential treatment to male applicants. The source comes from Inside Higher Ed, a free online publication that addresses a myriad of issues relating to colleges and universities. The audience of Inside Higher Ed could be composed of professors, college students, or parents of college students—all of whom would have a vested interest in college admissions policies. The article is a journalistic source because it maintains objectivity throughout its examination of the story, and supports itself through statistics. The article links to several pertinent sites, and quotes more than once a proposal by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which is currently investigating the colleges. This article is a remarkable source because it places the issue of affirmative action in an entirely new context. Traditionally, affirmative action sought to remedy disparities in gender by offering preferential treatment to females. This article, however, captures an instance in which the roles are reversed. This source can be used to encourage stakeholders and experts alike to reevaluate affirmative action in this new light. This source can also be used to suggest that affirmative action has already accomplished its goals of equality, and that Americans should begin to consider terminating these programs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/us/politics/03affirmative.html

This source is a 2008 article from the New York Times offering an analysis of Barack Obama’s stance on the issue of affirmative action. The audience comprised of citizens prior to an election, many of which were likely still in the process of choosing their candidate, and hoping to gain a better understanding of Obama’s value set. The article is an example of a journalistic source because it examines Obama’s views from an unbiased perspective. The article contains several sources, citing statements from Ward Connerly and John McCain, comments from an NAACP official, and past quotes from Barack Obama. Very notable, however, is the author’s failure to obtain a new comment from Obama at the time of the article. The article is relevant to the issue not only because President Obama has frequently dealt with these programs in the past, but also because he holds a great deal of discretion in determining their future. Therefore, this source can be used to forecast the future of the affirmative action controversy. One could also use this article as a way of drawing attention to President Obama’s seemingly ambivalent stance on the issue. Given that he is a Democrat, most would expect him to be more supportive of programs generally associated with the Democratic Party.

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1240/sotomayor-supreme-court-affirmative-action-minority-preferences

This source is a publication from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, in which Americans were polled on their views toward affirmative action policies. The study is an example of an institutional source because it conducted an unbiased survey in an attempt to generate statistical information on the issue. The only source for this study is the opinion of the general public, but this can be altered, sometimes substantially, by the phrasing of a question. The study is useful because it reveals what aspects of affirmative action that citizens support. This study proves that the public is reluctant to support efforts at improving minority status if they are dependant on preferential treatment. However, citizens are in favor of programs that are designed to help women and minorities gain access to jobs and education. This source can be used to argue that the public doesn’t fully understand the issue, as the essence of affirmative action programs is the policy of preferential treatment. More importantly, it can be used as evidence that the public would appreciate an alternative to affirmative action. The public still supports programs that help women and minorities, and many alternatives have been suggested that do just that, without using racial or gender preferences.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/us/politics/07affirm.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1255050784-iAiIx/E70YB8X7Wr/wbi0Q

This source is an article from the New York Times contrasting the opinions of Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas. This article is a journalistic source because the author remains neutral throughout it. The article consists of mostly background information on each justice’s past, and does not cite many interviews; most importantly, the article fails to get quotes from either Justice. However, the author does cite professors and classmates from each justice’s respective alma mater. The article is an important source because the two possess a great deal of authority in deciding the constitutional legitimacy of affirmative action programs. Also, the justices have both had first-hand experiences with affirmative action, and yet hold completely differing views in the debate over it. The article demonstrates the reasons for why not all minorities support the use of affirmative action programs. Thus, this source could help in the argument that people of every background, not merely privileged white males, oppose the principles of affirmative action. More importantly, this source can help calculate what key rulings might be decided by the Court regarding affirmative action. Understanding the arguments of Sotomayor and Thomas is critical to predicting the outcome of future cases, as the two will undoubtedly be the most prominent and influential figures on the bench.

http://www.time.com/time/columnist/klein/article/0,9565,1568439,00.html

This source is a 2006 article from Time magazine exploring alternatives to affirmative action. Although this source originated from a media outlet, it does not belong in a journalistic category. The author, Joe Klein, writes part of the article as an argument in which he suggests “three ways to ensure diversity and repair injustice.” The article uses few sources to support its opinionated portion, but does cite a study from the Department of Education as evidence for the termination of “legacy” admissions at Ivy League schools. This article also references recent court cases, such as Parents Involved v. Seattle, to try to determine the courts opinion on affirmative action. It cites a professor from Yale who believes that the Roberts Court will continue to vote against affirmative action principles. The relevance of the article lies in its overview of two commonly proposed alternatives: selecting applicants on the basis of economic status instead of race and gender, and reforming the educational system to improve inner city school districts. This source can therefore be used to list arguments of those who are in favor of improving upon affirmative action policies. Also, the portion of this article that examines the opinions of the Supreme Court is helpful in foretelling its decisions on the issue of affirmative action.

http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2002/2002_02_241/

This source is an overview of the 2003 court case, Grutter v. Bollinger, in which the Supreme Court ruled an affirmative action program was acceptable because of the educational opportunities that stem from a more diverse environment. This source stems from an entry of the Oyez Project website, a multimedia archive devoted to the work of the Supreme Court. The project, supported by the National Science Foundation, serves as an institutional source because it has a vested interest in accurately portraying the results of the Supreme Court. The sources of the Oyez Project are court briefings and audio files from the National Archives and Records Administration. This source is helpful because it offers historical context on the affirmative action issue. The ruling in Grutter v. Bollinger marks a departure from the traditional aim of affirmative action, which was to remedy disparities in access to work and education. In this case, the Supreme Court decided that affirmative action programs could now be maintained because of the educational benefits of diversity. This source can be used to prove that the goals of affirmative action have evolved into something else, and argue that the today the said benefits from the programs are not sufficient to warrant their continuation.

http://www.michbar.org/journal/pdf/pdf4article568.pdf

This source is an essay written in the May 2003 edition of the Michigan Bar Journal. It fervently argues for replacing affirmative action with preferential treatment on the basis of economic status, as well as with drastic repairs to the K-12 educational system. The audience of this journal consists of lawyers in the state of Michigan. The essay is written by Chetly Zarko, a freelance investigative writer who has worked on a variety of conservative campaigns, one being the 2006 Michigan Civil Rights Initiative that banned affirmative action programs in the state. This essay is part of the Michigan Bar Journal’s “Speaking Out” section, which “offers personal opinions on issues of interest and concern to [its] readership.” As a result, this source clearly fits the citizen category. This is a strong source because it eloquently presents key arguments of affirmative action opponents. Zarko argues that by ending all policies that negatively impact minority groups (such as alumni and legacy preferences), and by implementing preferences based on socio-economic standing, a fairer admissions process would result than one that uses racial or gender preferences. This essay can be used to argue the shortcomings of affirmative action, and advocate for the effectiveness of alternatives.

http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/docs/hockstader.html

This source is a 2002 Washington Post article reporting on the successes and failures of the top 10% rule in Texas. This article is found on the website for the Affirmative Action and Diversity Project. The website serves as an academic resource, offering a plethora of articles and policy documents, alongside bibliographies of source materials. While the article itself is a journalistic source, the project that it is a part of is an academic source. The sources within the article include a variety of education administrators from the state of Texas. The article is a worthy source because it offers both insight and statistics on a prominent alternative to affirmative action principles. The top 10% rule operates by offering automatic admission for high school students with a GPA in the top 10% of their class. Proponents of the rule argue that it accomplishes the same level of diversity without discriminating on the basis of race. Opponents claim that the rule favors students taking easier classes. Also, students from worse schools are offered automatic admission, which may mean that they don’t perform as well as students from a better school, but who are outside the top 10%. This article can be used to promote the effectiveness of the top 10% rule, as well as prepare against the arguments of those opposed to it.

http://insideoregon.uoregon.edu/university-of-oregons-new-dean-of-students-will-begin-in-may/ (This is not a link to the interview. This is just a short biography on Paul Shang.)

This source is an interview from October, 2009, with Paul Shang, the new Vice President and Dean of Students at the University or Oregon. The interview addresses Shang’s past as a minority in the segregated south, as well as his views on diversity and his long history as an advocate of affirmative action. As a source, this interview falls into the citizen category because Shang is putting forth his personal opinions and life experiences with affirmative action, and because he did not cite any external sources. This interview is a useful source because Dean Shang provides a strong argument for the continued use of affirmative action programs. Furthermore, his personal experiences offer historical context behind affirmative action from a proponent’s perspective. Throughout the interview, Shang references the benefits that he has seen from over 40 years of affirmative action. Besides the enormous growth of women and minorities in the workforce, Shang claims that employment opportunities have actually expanded for everyone. He claims that affirmative action contributed to the downfall of social networks that surrounded industries and often served as prerequisites for employment. This source can be used to address the profound success that affirmative action has had in the past, yet advocate for a reform of the principles today.

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