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" In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order to counter racial discrimination in the workplace. Affirmative action has been a hot-button issue for the past 47 years! We&amp;#039;ve all heard about it, especially recently with the elections upon us. But what&amp;#039;s the real deal here? Affirmative action is a way of improving opportunities for minorities, women, elderly, and the disabled. Affirmative action is used for jobs, housing, even college admissions! Stephen Schierloh, the acting dean of admissions at Sarah Lawrence College, asserts that one of their goals is to create a diverse campus. &amp;quot;We consider many factors for admission, including the selection of a class that includes a diversity of students racially, economically, and geographically, and by other distinctions such as areas of academic strength.&amp;quot; But is it still necessary or is it antiquated? Here two CG! seniors who are currently applying to college face off!  So listen to what they have to say and then you can decide for yourself!  &amp;quot;To abolish affirmative action would imply to minority students that they are living in a nation that does not take into consideration their background or past struggles. As a current applicant, I hope that admissions officers will look at my application and notice that I am more than my SAT score and GPA. As a female leader at my high school, I have been seen as a &amp;quot;power-hungry witch,&amp;quot; while my male equivalents were &amp;quot;successful and influential leaders.&amp;quot; I am not asking for a sympathy acceptance, but I do hope that admissions officers realize that overcoming female discrimination is a large part of who I am.  Not only is affirmative action advantageous to those who it directly affects, it also benefits non-minority students. Students on campuses that greatly lack diversity will be exposed to a limited reflection of our highly diverse society. Diversity is crucial in creating classrooms where opposing opinions promote intellectual discussions.&amp;quot; \u2014Kate, 18  &amp;quot;An inevitable oversight of affirmative action is that it will protect some students who never felt the burden of prejudice. This unfair boost defeats the policy&amp;#039;s very purpose. Moreover, affirmative action adds a sort of stigma to those who benefit from it. Even if a student would have gotten accepted without the help of affirmative action, he or she will likely face hostility from others. But the most compelling argument against affirmative action, especially because the spirit of affirmative action is so admirable, is that affirmative action is, contradictory to its name, reactionary. Instead of taking action against prejudices, it merely reacts to the issue by patching up the problems prejudices make. Even worse, in its process it generates more discrimination.&amp;quot; \u2014Savannah, 18 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/school/advice/a11208/the-race-to-be-admitted/>