An interesting point of view.  May be of help on interviews.  Please be assured you DO NOT have to say which way you voted when interviewed but you will be expected to know what attracted you to certain positions each of the candidates took on health care, the war and our current economic problems (particularly as they relate to student loans).  

 

Hi Ms. Woodhill,

I found this article and thought it may of some interest to all prehealth students.  It has some very INTERESTING points for the future.  This could mean a lot of changes in the future regarding scholarships, admission, etc.

Thanks,
Yinette Almonte

The Future of Affirmative Action
*By Lauren Bayne Anderson *
  With the first black president elected and affirmative action programs now
defeated in four states, some are wondering the fate of the programs and how
they'll be affected.

The programs -- designed to level the playing field for perceived
minorities-- have been under attack for years, most actively by
anti-affirmative-action guru Ward Connerly.

In 2003, the Supreme Court affirmed the use of race in college admissions by
a 5-4 vote. But public support of the programs has been flimsy, with four
states now banning affirmative action programs.

And now, with Barack Obama elected as the nation's first black president,
justified or not, some are even more likely to view his election as proof
that affirmative action is outdated and unneeded.

First set in place in 1961 by President Kennedy, affirmative action
describes policies set in place to level the playing field for disadvantaged
groups in education and employment. Historically, that's meant racial
minorities and women, but the physically disabled and veterans have also
benefitted.

This year Connerly pushed to get affirmative action bans on the ballots of
four states, including a hotly contested vote in Colorado and Nebraska.
Nebraska was the only state this year to approve the proposal, but it joins
California, Michigan and Washington State, which have already banned the
programs.

But while the Supreme Court's decision in support of affirmative action
still stands, that could soon change too. Since the decision, Sandra Day
O'Connor, the swing vote in favor of racial preferences has been replaced by
the conservative Justice Samuel Alito.

According to The Atlantic, the new conservative majority, which last year
struck down racial integration plans in public schools in Seattle and
Louisville, may wish to revisit affirmative action in higher education.

The public's reaction is still a mixed bag. In addition to the election of
Obama, candidates Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton made history themselves as
strong contenders for jobs traditionally held by menadding to the
perception that the policies may no longer be needed.

According to the Atlantic, in many academic circles, where Obama has strong
multiracial support, the notion of colorblind policies is considered naive,
even reactionary. But the Obama crowds in South Carolina memorably chanted
"race doesn't matter" after his victory there in the Democratic primary.

Obama himself has voiced his support for affirmative action programs. But
some experts are offering other solutions to level the playing field.

According to a 2004 Century Foundation study by Anthony Carnevale and
Stephen Rose, economic affirmative actionwhich takes into account the
income, education and occupation of an applicant's parents, in addition to
the level of poverty in their high schoolwill produce nearly the same level
of racial diversity as current race-based affirmative action, the Atlantic
reported.

The Atlantic also suggested that Obama may choose to substantially fund the
enforcement of important anti-discrimination laws to protect against bias in
education, housing and employment, to reduce the need for other affirmative
action programsan agenda that no president has fully funded, they reported.