Affirmative action, also known as, “positive discrimination” has been an issue of much controversy in the years present and past. As defined by Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, affirmative action is, “an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women.” Though this effort has contributed various opportunities for those that fit into its categories, it has also put more pressure to do well with majorities or overrepresented groups. The pressure towards majorities, that stems from the act of affirmative action, is one of the reasons as to why it has been labeled as positive discrimination, in certain groups around the world.

 The history of affirmative action starts with the Civil Rights Movement. It was during this time of change and ethnic prosperity that President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925. It was 1961 when it was accepted. It emphasized the priority of allowing certain groups opportunities that were previously unaccessible to them because of past discrimination or lack of opportunity within their own nations.

 One of the most controversial parts of affirmative action is its take on college admittance. The idea is to provide more opportunities to minority groups, but this leaves the flaw of majorities and overrepresented minorities getting pushed aside even though the people of such groups may have better qualifications. Many students applying for top-notch universities have cried out for this injustice, but most universities still maintain their policy of affirmative action. There has been change within some parts of the United States, however. California, for example has ousted the affirmative action effort and in doing so has shown change in the enrollment and acceptance of students from such backgrounds to the public universities of California.

 Following the approval of Proposition 209, in 1996, there was a significant change in ethnic diversity within the University of California system. Hispanic groups declined to a 12 percent in enrollment, when affirmative action was first abolished. This particular piece of evidence is a key supporting factor in proving that affirmative action can be overly generous to some groups and unfair to others.

 There are several good aspects of affirmative action as well. It’s not all bad. For one, it provides an opportunity for a diverse set of cultures on college campuses and work places. In addition, it can provide educational and financial opportunities to those that deserve as such, but have not had the liberty of receiving them.

  All in all, affirmative action has good intentions, it has a flawed way of acting out those intentions. There’s not a set manner of fixing it, but we can improve it by making it more in-depth and looking at not only ethnic backgrounds, but economic ones, as well. Perhaps rather than changing the system based on such good intentions, we need to focus more on changing the student in a fitting manner.