Martin Michaelson

Affirmative action policies benefit all college students, contends Martin Michaelson in the following viewpoint. The consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions has had a negligible effect on white student attendance, Michaelson points out. In the meantime, affirmative action brings a healthy racial diversity to college campuses—a diversity that enhances students’ personal and academic development. Moreover, the author asserts, college affirmative action programs have fostered a growing middle class of successful minority professionals. Michaelson, a Washington, D.C. based attorney, represents colleges and universities throughout the United States.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why are there such strong objections to the use of affirmative action in college admissions decisions, in Michaelson’s opinion?
2. According to the author, what is problematic about the concept of “merit"&rdquo...