My Opinion: No, colleges should not use affirmative action. It’s going to help African-Americans and some minorities, but it will not help the Caucasian community (or, as my teacher calls it, the white-boy town) of Saline. It will not help Caucasian at all. Only the best Caucasians will get into college with affirmative action.
Reason One: we should be checking grades instead of race. Colleges should judge you for entry by checking your high school grades, not race or skin color or anything that points toward discrimination or racism. Colleges always want the best students. They also want to help. I say, pick 10 percent students with bad grades, 60 percent with good grades, and 30 percent of students with average grades. Allow them entry by checking their high school. Then determine if they stay or switch colleges.
Reason Two: we should give everybody a chance. When I say allow 10 percent of students with bad grades, 60 percent with good grades, and 30 percent with average grades, I mean give everyone a chance. Everybody who hasn’t been to prison, or who hasn’t gotten suspended over fifty times, or who hasn’t been expelled should get a chance, even people with failing grades. Maybe they are still trying, who knows? The point is, don’t just choose people with only good high school grades.
Reason Three: colleges need to treat everyone fairly. Don’t just look at the name or look at the person’s race or skin color. It’s like reason number two, give everybody a chance. Except this time, it’s about nationality, race, skin color, and ethnicity. Just see how it goes or something. Just try it.
— Derien W., Grade 7, All I Could Do was Look Up
For 826michigan’s 2012-13 Young Author’s Publication, we partnered with English Language Arts teachers at Scarlett Middle School. The entire seventh grade participated in this project and were able to share a snapshot of middle schoolers’ experiences and views through memoir, poetry, persuasive essays, and fables.
