opinion . 9
September 2013 The Junior Statement
The pros and cons of affirmative action by Joy Cai
Staff Writer
High school students approaching senior year have one primary concern: college applications. Students spend endless hours perfecting their resumes, applications, and essays. But what if their acceptance is based off of something that they have no control over? How much does one’s ethnicity and race affect his or her chances of getting into their dream school? It is common knowledge that colleges select their incoming class through consideration of one’s academics, extracurricular activities, and test scores, but do they have the right to make admissions decisions based on race or ethnicity? In Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), the Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities would be permitted to consider race and ethnicity in their admission decisions for the next 25 years. Pro: Supporters of affirmative action
feel that race is an important factor in the college admissions process, giving underrepresented minorities additional benefits when applying. Along with encouraging students who wouldn’t necessarily consider applying to a certain school to do so, the policy also facilitates racial diversity on campuses and improves the level of education. “ There is value in having a class that is widely diverse and represents different racial, ethnic and religious groups,” Richard Levin, President of Yale University, told the Yale Daily News. “Yale has practiced this affirmative action since the 1960’s and will continue to do so to increase diversity among racial, cultural, and ethnic groups.” Con: The affirmative action policy harms students who do not belong to a minority, who are at the top of their class but may have a lower chance of acceptance due to their race. This belief isn’t just held amongst students belonging to races that are not considered to be minorities.
LAUREN LIAO
Opponents of affirmative action argue that an applicant should be admitted based on qualifications, not skin color. If one is accepted because of race and not academic achievement, they might not be able to succeed in an environment where other students
have earned their place because of their qualifications. Joy Cai is a sophomore at Walnut High School in Walnut, CA in the Southern California State. She is the Angeles Region Director of Social Activities.
The Fifth Estate Connundrum LAUREN LIAO
by SiTian Zhang Staff Writer “The Fifth Estate” details the story of Julian Assange on his journey to founding the notorious WikiLeaks. Due to be released in October, less than three months after the conviction of American government whis-
tleblower and ex-intelligence officer Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning, it highlights the growing relevance of a new American controversy encompassing debates over security, liberty, and government accountability. Benedict Cumberbatch, who stars in the film as Assange said in an interview, “He took an oath, and he broke
that oath…If they are saving lives, how can we say that’s less important than civil liberties?” His comments have met widespread outrage across the Internet with comments criticizing his words and, in some cases, even calling for the boycott of his work. A year ago, I might have joined the majority of the internet denizens in their outcry against the words of Cumberbatch. Manning and even Snowden revealed despicable acts committed by the government, which then buried such acts. It is information that American citizens, need and deserve to know. In this sense, Snowden and Manning are true patriots.In order to preserve the American democracy and to inform the American citizens, they willingly placed their own lives in danger. Nonetheless, justified intentions do not provide protection in the eyes of the law. Are we willing to put our safety and the safety of this entire nation at the mercy of strangers? Today, it may be a conscientious man who believes the public needs to learn of the infringement on their privacy. Tomorrow, it may be a madman who believes
the public has the right to every detail of America’s nuclear program. Moreover, encouraging such actions from members of the armed forces and of the intelligence community destroys the integrity of those very entities created for our own protection. The United States of America, as a democracy, needs the sacrifices and contributions of men and women like Snowden and Manning. However, though their decisions protect the transparency of our democracy, they have the potential to destroy the security of the nation. “The Fifth Estate” is named after the growingly relevant fifth social class: one of non-mainstream media that seeks to directly inform and influence the public. It is the estate built by those like Assange, Snowden, and Manning. We, the Americans, cannot help but appreciate them, yet we would be foolish not to guard against them. SiTian Zhang is a junior at High Tech High School in North Bergen, NJ in the Mid-Atlantic State. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the New Jersey Region Star.