For affirmative action

Affirmative action, especially in terms of race, remains a controversial issue in modern politics. Driving the argument against the policy is the claim that its primary motivation of providing historically disadvantaged minorities with an equal opportunity to access education no longer exists. Opponents also assert that this policy is not the best way to add diversity because race is not the only contributing factor to one’s diversity. Furthermore, some minorities are against affirmative action because they feel it unfairly calls into question their accomplishments. However, proponents argue that the policy adds an aspect of diversity not easily obtained and that students can never know why any one student was admitted. Indeed, colleges and universities across the nation — including our peer institutions, Yale, Harvard and University of Pennsylvania — continue to implement this policy because the value added to their social and academic communities outweighs these potential negative aspects.

In admitting a new class, it is important that the University be able to compose a class that draws from different experiences, outlooks and perspectives. While race isn’t the only form of diversity that is likely to bring diversity to campus, it certainly is one of the most important. Admitting a student through affirmative action does not only benefit that student but also his or her peers. One’s education is more valuable when it is complicated by the presence of various groups of students. This complication, though, does not only lie within the classroom that becomes infinitely more interesting because conflicting experiences have given the class a new direction, but rather it also stems through social interactions with students whose backgrounds don’t just mirror one’s own. As we become more culturally aware through these interactions, we become better communicators and thinkers. We leave Princeton not merely as students who have completed substantial academic work but as students better equipped and ready to enter a diverse society.

In an ideal world, affirmative action would not be necessary. Unfortuately, that time has not yet come. Should affirmative action programs be banned, colleges and universities would lose one of the crucial ways in which they provide students with a well-rounded education. Because this policy not only provides students of all races an opportunity to obtain an education but also all students the chance to interact with people of different cultures, Princeton should continue to defend its ability to admit racial minorities under affirmative action policies.