Ethics and Equality in College Admissions

Ethics and Equality in College Admissions

Ethics in an Academic Environment-

Ethics and Equality in College Admissions

College admissions counselors face many decisions today when it comes to decisions that involve which students get to attend their college of choice. College admissions counselors are faced with concerns about ethics and equality. In 1996, the State of California banned affirmative action (Wooldridge, 1998). This means that colleges and universities are not able to make admission decisions based on race, sex, social class, ethnicity, or disability. Colleges in California are required to make admissions decisions based on merit and test scores. Making admission policies equal to all students seems like the best way to level the playing field. However, one problem exists. According to Wooldridge (1998, p.1), "On average, blacks and Latinos score well below whites and Asians on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT)." This means that fewer African-American and Latino students will be accepted to college, making colleges lack diversity (Wooldridge, p.1).

College's admissions face another obstacle that is increasing in popularity. Cheating on tests and entrance exams has become a common practice for students trying to enroll in college. Athletes and non-athletes alike resort to cheating to help their chances of enrollment. The problem with cheating has become so large that schools are forced to reshape academic admission policies (Vencat, 2006).

Academic admissions counselors throughout the country are trying to come up with ideas to help maintain fair and honest