Following bans in California, Washington, and Michigan, arguments about affirmative action are abound, stating admissions should be solely based on merit or other "justifiable" need-based qualifications. Critics beg the question, "Why consider race?" Why not consider race? It is as much a part of how minorities experience and are treated by society as gender, socioeconomic status, and additional factors that are viewed as "legitimate."

Regardless of race, minorities too are subject to the same admissions criteria as their classmates. We do not simply check a racial code and receive a "Get into College Free" card. We fill out the application. We have our accomplishments. We are qualified. When we are chosen amongst applicants, our competitors are not people of a higher rank; they are individuals of the same standing.

Strip the system of affirmative action, and opponents argue that the end result is equal prospects for all. However, this so-called level playing field is a mountain of white privilege. Invisible as this privilege may be, it is ubiquitous in our society. Open a magazine or textbook, turn on your television, go into any store, and you'll always find a representation of white culture. For whites, your faults are not attributed to your race. When you achieve, it is not on account of your ethnic group. The vast majority of the authority figures you encounter in businesses, universities, or government bodies will share your racial background. You are given more credibility, more respect, and more opportunities for advancement.

Let's look at the world through a minority lens. From the beginning, you are more likely to be incarcerated or live in poverty. You are assumed to be at risk, your behavior criminalized and assumed to precede juvenile delinquency. You are less likely to obtain a high school diploma and even less likely to continue on to college. Many lack access to the resources or guidance needed for plan for postsecondary education. This is the definition of "equality" we are expected to accept.

The bottom line is this: race is relevant. To call for "race-neutral" admissions is to be ignorant of the rampant inequality that endures against those who do not fit the characteristics of the ideal. The glitch is not just an unsuccessful education system, which fails to endow urban youth with satisfactory preparation for college, but also a society which holds minorities in low regard. The only way to end the very discrimination which reinforces the need for affirmative action is to support the entry of underrepresented groups at the university level. We cannot break cultural boundaries and facilitate discussion on such pressing issues, when certain ethnic groups are not admitted into the establishment. Although I wholeheartedly wish that at some point in the future affirmative action will be rendered unnecessary, minorities are still susceptible to societal forces, whether evident or invisible, that keep us from being equivalent. Admittedly, the policy gives precedence to one group over another; nonetheless, it is done in an effort to increase diversity, decrease prejudice, and undermine the influences that bar the underrepresented from higher education. In a word, its aim is not discrimination but inclusion. When applied correctly, the method will end social barriers and prevent the need for additional policies in the future. Ultimately, terminating affirmative action would return us to the discriminatory platform on which we began and perpetuate the inequity that divides our nation.

Erin Perkins, Junior, Legal Studies & Criminal Justice