What sorts of affirmative action programs are prohibited, according to the Supreme Court? What sorts of programs are acceptable?

Describe the Top Ten Percent program in Texas. How has de facto segregation enabled this policy to produce diverse enrollment at colleges and universities? Do you think a university valuing diversity should use a traditional affirmative action program or a policy like the Top Ten Percent program? Justify your answer.


Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Describe the affirmative action policies that the Supreme Court has prohibited: programs that use quotas or mathematical formulas.
2. Describe the affirmative action policies that the Supreme Court has affirmed: programs that use race as one of several factors in a holistic admissions assessment.
3. Describe the Ten Percent Plan in Texas, which grants automatic state school admissions to anyone who graduates in the top 10 percent of a Texas high school class.
4. Explain how de facto segregation enables the Ten Percent Plan to produce a diverse study body. Since there is considerable de facto segregation in residential neighborhoods and schools, many schools have high concentrations of African American or Hispanic students. Therefore, the top 10 percent of students from these schools adds diversity to Texas universities.
5. Evaluate whether a traditional affirmative action program or a top 10 percent program is a better way to achieve a diverse study body. The argument should be well-reasoned, with supporting statements backing up a thesis.

Political Science

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North Carolina initially abstained from ratifying the Constitution due to the absence of a bill of rights

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Political Science

Which of the following is true of electoral institutions?

A. Plurality electoral rules tend to reduce the number of viable political parties to two or three. B. Plurality and majority electoral rules reward smaller parties and punish larger parties in terms of the way votes are translated into seats. C. Proportional electoral systems tend to have relatively less viable political parties. D. Plurality and electoral rules reduce the likelihood of majority control of the legislature. E. Proportional representation rules tend to disperse less political power.

Political Science

Adopting the guitar as the state musical instrument required that the legislature uses _______ to make the icon official

A) a simple resolution B) a concurrent resolution C) a joint resolution D) an appropriations bill

Political Science

Beneficence means:

a. Altruism that is inherent in the professional role. b. The moral imperative to enhance clients’ well-being. c. The receiving of benefits from social programs. d. Going beyond the typical policy advocate role.

Political Science