Here I Am.

This argument happening at UW-Madison right now is driving me insane.  It’s important to listen to and take into account opposing sides to this argument on Affirmative Action in college admissions and I hear where this student is coming from.  I strongly support affirmative action.  Having a diverse educational environment is enriching and makes for a well-rounded education.  So here’s the thing:  merit-based admission is the ideal.  However, we all know (okay, most of us seem to know…) that race plays a major factor in education from the quality to location of schools.  Without long and hard work, this isn’t going to change anytime soon.  So that’s why we have Affirmative Action in the first place.  To provide students who may have faced obstacles in achieving a quality education an opportunity to succeed, to go to school somewhere they may not have been able to if their SAT scores and GPA were the only factors in admission.  Having the presence of students of diverse backgrounds (ethnic, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, etc) make us ALL better students, give us ALL the education for which UW-Madison is known. We need to walk a mile in each other’s shoes and realize that the different paths that led us to UW-Madison are the reason we are a great school.  We shouldn’t be blocking these paths, only creating and welcoming new ones.