Affirmative action has been a controversial topic since its inception in the 1960s to right past wrongs against minority groups, such as African Americans, Hispanics and women. The goal of affirmative action is to integrate minorities into public institutions, such as universities, which have historically faced discrimination in such environments. Supporters say this is necessary to ensure minority representation in these institutions, while opponents say it is reverse discrimination. Newsweek published an article on this same debate that once again gained national attention with a case brought against the University of Michigan by white students who claimed the university's admissions policies accepted students from minorities, even if they had better grades than the others. minority students. Business Week's William Symonds, however, believes this doesn't really matter. He claims that minority status is more or less irrelevant in college admission and that class is the determining factor. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, affirmative action is “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women.” However, despite his well-intentioned policies, he has been the source of much controversy over the years. Barbara Scott and Mary Ann Schwartz mention that "supporters of affirmative action argue that because racism and discrimination are systemic problems, their solutions require institutional remedies such as those offered by affirmative action legislation » (298). Furthermore, even if racism is no longer direct, indirect forms still exist in society and positive discrimination helps to guide them. On the other hand, opponents claim... middle of paper ...... with the ability to climb the social ladder and generate revenue for local and national governments. University of Michigan students may or may not have an argument against affirmative action by claiming it is based on race, but the real problem with affirmative action is that it is not based on race. socio-economic status. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. April 21, 2003 Rosenberg, Debra. “Michigan’s Day in Court.” News week. April 14, 2003. MSNBC Online. April 20, 2003 Scott, Barbara Marlene and Mary Ann Schwartz. 2000. Sociology: Making Sense of the Social World. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Symonds, William C. “College Admissions: The Real Barrier Is Class.” Business Week April 4, 2003: 66-67.