During the past couple of decades, colleges and universities have tried to increase their numbers of minority students by various forms of affirmative action. At Campus X, this has led to controversy and discord. Some students criticize as unfair the policy of accepting students with lower SAT and other scores just because of their race or minority status. Others believe that the diversity that results from such policies is good for everyone because it is reflected in the broader society and a university should prepare people to participate in our diverse culture. Still, there is some question even among members of this group as to how well different ethnic groups relate on campus. Furthermore, a different type of problem has recently surfaced. Because Asian Americans are represented on campus in numbers greater than their percentage of the population, Campus X may restrict the percentage of Asians they will accept even when their scores are higher than others. Campus X is also considering eliminating its affirmative action program entirely, which alarms some students. They point to declining numbers of minorities at certain medical and law schools that have done away with their affirmative action programs.
Do you think that diversity ought to be a goal of campus admissions? Or do you believe that only academic qualifications ought to count? Do you think limiting the university enrollment of overrepresented groups (such as Asians and whites) based on their percentage of the overall population would be justified? Why or why not?