Should race be considered for enrollment into a University? Well per the Supremes Courts ruling in the Fisher vs The University of Texas case it should be considered. Even though the Supreme Court favored their decision for the University of Texas, I still wonder if race should be considered? In 1997 Texas enacted a law requiring the University to admit all graduating seniors that were in the top 10% of their class. This seems to be a fair law based on the assumption that a student who did well enough to finish in the top 10% should be deserving of admission. But does that law effectively create diversity in the admission process?

            Fisher was denied admission over minorities who scored lower on the entrance exams, so based on this she should have received admission before them. This is part of the claim Fisher made. The University upheld the state law concerning the top 10% but after some years they decided that they were not receiving the diversity they had hoped for. After a review UT decided to continue the 10% rule and with the remaining admissions they would consider race as a qualifying component. Fisher was not in the top 10% so she had to compete with the remaining population to gain admission.

            Affirmative action has played a key role in allowing minorities the opportunity to have the same standards as non-minorities. Affirmative action is why UT uses race as consideration for acceptance. As we all know history has shown us that minorities suffer from lower education rates compared to non-minorities. Based on this fact we may assume that without affirmative action, minorities would continue to be less educated and allowed less opportunities to attend universities like UT. The desire for UT to be a diverse university and allow minorities a chance for a higher education is very commendable. UT has stood by the 10% rule and believes top students deserve admittance for their hard work. But they also recognize that minorities may just need a chance to prove they have the same ability as the top 10%.

            There will always be disagreement on the decision made by the Supreme Court in Fisher vs The University of Texas and some would say that with different Justices the outcome would be different. The important thing is not to scrutinize the court’s decision, but rather see the advancement we have made as a country when it comes to diversity. I personally can’t tell you if race consideration is the fair way to go but I can say that I support the decision of the court and hope it will continue to help diversity. 

Birth Control, The Magic Pill

In a recent blog article titled “Contraception Should Be Covered by Insurance” the author of the blog describes why contraception should be covered by insurance. The author starts by stating that birth control helps prevent unwanted pregnancies but it can also help with PMS, acne, endometriosis, and hormone imbalances. I have to agree with the author on these facts about birth control, but as the author expands on reasons why it should be covered, I quickly see that that our opinions are different.

One opinion of the article states “Many women’s dreams now include education and a career. Birth control gives them that choice. In doing so it also helps the economy. If a young woman is in college working on her education and becomes pregnant before graduating, she is most likely in debt and now doesn’t have the option to start her career”. I can’t agree that birth control gives women the opportunity for an education and a career, nor does the author give data justifying such claims. I do understand that the birth of a child, especially for a college student can be a major challenge but numerous women have successfully graduated and started a career after childbirth.

I feel as though the article leans too much on the powers of birth control and its ability to keep a women’s life from ruin. Birth control is simply a prevention drug, it doesn’t give women the power to do great things. The article on the other hand doesn’t address the fact that birth control doesn’t prevent things like STD’s, which as we all know could be way worse than pregnancy. I also feel like people have a false security in birth control and forget that it isn’t 100% prevention. Birth control should be viewed as an aid to good judgment and safe practices.

The main point of the blog is to prove that contraception should be covered by insurance.  I can’t agree with some of the reasons listed by the author, but I do agree that contraception should be covered by insurance. As a young couple on a fixed budget my wife and I faced the fact that her birth control wasn’t covered. Each month we paid over $40 for her prescription and it made things very tough at times, so I understand the need for it to be covered. I know that with the possibility of defunding of Planned Parenthood and repeal of the Obamacare, there is fear placed in women that depend on their services. My hope is that government and insurance companies with continue to cover birth control.