The ups and downs of affirmative action

Lillian KalishStaff Writer Originally, I was going to start off by telling the story of when I got pulled out of class in middle school to be awarded for being a black student with good grades. I’ll come back to that later though, because, at the moment, I’m having a racial identity crisis. It was brought on by those tiny boxes on the Common Application, and the general fuss over race and college admissions.For those underclassman who have not yet experienced the magic of applying to college, I will enlighten you. On the Common Application, students must check a box denoting the race to which he or she identifies. If you’re in my situation, being half black and half white with just enough Native American to count, what do you do? Having grown up in a predominantly white side of Santa Monica, I can honestly say that I identify most with whites, but I’m not going to deny my African American roots, especially since they will probably help me get into college. And, while I am against affirmative action in principle, I can’t help but support it on an individual level.Throughout my middle school and a bit during my high school career, I have felt a certain pressure to live up to my skin color. In middle school, I worked hard, paid attention in class, and never got in trouble. I was immediately labeled “white washed” and “Uh-Oh Oreo” (which is clever but still offensive) by both my black and white peers. I was, in their minds, failing to prove my “blackness.” Somehow, to them, education was still seen as a privilege that served whites. My black and Hispanic classmates stigmatized education, arguing that it is not something associated with the attitudes of minorities. It didn’t make any sense to say that education was for whites—in a way, my acquaintances were perpetuating their own stereotypes. What does it even mean to act “black” or act “white,” and why should it matter?In seventh grade I was sent to my counselor’s office to fill out an application for some kind of black student award. I wasn’t being rewarded for my studious behavior; I was being rewarded for being black and studious. I politely declined her offer. I told her that I wanted to be judged just like everyone one else, regardless of race, and that this application represented a form of reverse racism. And now that I’ve moved on to high school, many seniors are sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for responses from colleges, the emphasis on race, academics, and college acceptances has only gotten worse.“People try so hard in high school to fit in and now people say, ‘You’re so lucky that you’re a lesbian, or black, or a legacy.” senior Lillie Gross, who is half Mexican and half-white, said. “Kids want to be different to stand out for colleges instead of just being themselves. If it weren’t for affirmative action, I’d probably check off that I’m white.”Gross’ situation is one with which I, and other mixed kids, can resonate. In this day and age, many American children are not fully one ethnicity—we are from multiple backgrounds, cultures, attitudes and races. It is ridiculous, in fact, to even try to classify ourselves as one or two things when our identities often overlap. For example, there are many different sub-cultures within the black community, but colleges don’t take into consideration the nuances in these cultures when making decisions. It is more effective, according to Gross, for colleges to look at socio-economic status as an indicator.“I think [affirmative action] is good at increasing diversity in colleges, but it has some flaws,” senior Ariel Pourmorady said regarding the fact that colleges may alter the standards of admission for minorities to yield greater diversity. “It should be based more on socio-economic status, but at the same time, race is just one factor in the college admissions process.”I agree with Pourmorady — affirmative action becomes problematic when it is used as the determining factor. So many things go into a college decision that is impossible to predict the outcome. Even if a student has perfect grades, test scores, and extra-curriculars, he or she can still be rejected from a top school. That is where the controversial aspects such as racial identity, legacy status and athletic ability come into play.Currently, it is illegal for the UC system to look at race or gender when making admissions decisions, because of proposition 209 and as a result reward merit more than anything else. Essentially, it all comes down to an applicant’s numbers (test scores, GPA, etc.) according to the College Board. However, the recently proposed California Senate Bills 185 and 387 may change the system’s priorities by allowing UCs to look at a student’s race or gender when making admission decisions.At UC Berkeley earlier this year, the Berkeley College Republicans protested this proposed legislation by holding an “inherently racist” bake sale according to CNN. Students were charged for the baked goodies based on their ethnicity ranging from $2 for whites, $1.50 for Asians, $1 for Hispanics, and 75 cents for blacks. And additional 25 cents was taken off for all women. The students were trying to make the point that these new bills may restructure the campus demographics, making it easier for minorities to gain admission. The republican group said that their bake sale was racist just like the UC system would be if the new bills were passed. Hence, the lower prices for minorities represented the easier access to an education.“Where are all the Asians going to go?” senior Lillian Hwang asked jokingly after hearing about the proposed bills. “I just imagine them all carrying their luggage away.”Though Hwang’s thoughts may seem comical, they do hold some truth. With this new legislation, the UC system would no longer be dominated by Asians, and in turn would represent a reverse kind of racism. Being Asian would now hurt an applicant’s chance of admission, while being an underrepresented minority would help. If the bills pass, they would bring more racial and geographic diversity to the campus, while at the same time yielding less prospective Asian and even white students. The system would become less merit-based and more interested in applicant’s racial background.“Sometimes it just depends on what colleges are looking for: they might want someone to play tuba that year or stop a puck [on the rink]. It is impossible to make a fair system. Don’t let universities be the judge of who you are. Be your own judge,” English teacher John Harris said.Harris took the words right out of my mouth. I don’t think we should get so caught up on trying to be the perfect applicant, because, in the end, no matter where we go, we can make the most of our situations. We were all born with a certain skin color and unless you have enough money like Michael Jackson, you can’t change it. We’re born into a certain socio-economic status and with certain abilities. By now, there isn’t really much we can do to change our applications other than to continue doing well in school. I’m tired of hearing “She got in because she’s black” or “He won’t get in because he’s Asian.” So, calm yourselves, please.  First semester is almost over and soon it will all be out of our hands.  Oct. 24, 2017:  This article has been updated to reflect a correction to a student's quote about Affirmative Action. lkalish@thesamohi.com