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Proposition 16
By
Erin Maglaque
The United States is a country that holds the words "equality" and "fairness" in very high regard. Wars have been fought, people have died, and great sacrifices have been made, all in the interest of protecting these words and the meaning behind them. The law in this country very rarely does not include equality and fairness for all people.
However, there is one law in particular that does not uphold this standard of equality. This law is Proposition 16. Should a defective law actually be enforced? Is it legal for it to be in effect? Perhaps more importantly, is it morally wrong to obey this law? In order to be able to answer these questions, one must look at the background and different aspects of this law.
The purpose of Proposition 16, simply stated, is to create the academic standards an aspiring Division One athlete must reach. These standards are measured in a combination of two different ways: the SAT scores, and a student’s GPA. Put together on a sliding scale, these two numbers decide a number of things. They decide whether or not the student plays in Division One, whether that student goes to college, and how well the college ranks in Division One.
It is obvious that a lot is at stake in this set of numbers; a few numbers decide so many important things
It is morally wrong to base such an important thing on such trivial numbers. It is also morally wrong because not everyone is good at everything. Therefore, I believe that you can play sports without necessarily having to be bright in some of the more academic aspects. Also, the final reason why I believe that Proposition 16 is completely unjust is the fact that all
For these reasons, I believe that Proposition 16 is unjust in every sense of the word.
The way it is decided as to whether or not a student participates in Division One, as expressed in Proposition 16, is entirely illegal. The NCAA decided that the sliding scale, composed of both SAT and GPA scores, shall be used to determine if a student competes in Division One. There is one major fault in this ruling: the SAT is a culturally biased test that has been proven to score blacks and other minorities considerably lower than whites.
This means that this method for admitting student-athletes is illegal, as illustrated in The Civil Rights simply because of his or her race. Unfortunately, Proposition 16 fails to abide by that law. Their method for determining whether a student should play in Division One does reject
Proposition 16 is morally wrong in several ways. There are so many important things put in jeopardy by this law. A college education for the student, the opportunity of a lifetime to play in Division One, the possibility of being recruited by a national league, and the standings of that college in Division One are all endangered by this law. I find it utterly immoral, unjust, and dishonest to put at risk such consequential things. The way they are put in danger is also immoral - through a set of trivial numbers. Two numbers decide the rest of your
Proposition 16 is also morally wrong because it denies a student who would not ordinarily have the chance to go to college his only chance. A student who is a talented basketball player, and yet did not get good enough SAT scores to get a full scholarship and play for Division One, is being denied his only chance at college if he cannot afford it himself. This is morally unjust, for this student is relying on only his basketball skills to get him into college.
The last reason why I feel that Proposition 16 is immoral is the simple fact that no one is good at everything. No one can be talented in all aspects. Therefore, I feel that if a student is particularly adept in one thing, then he should be able to continue doing what he is good at. It should not be expected that he who is a star football player should also get a 2.0 GPA. If the student is a good football player, then it makes sense that he should play football. However, it does not make sense that he should be held back from being the best football player he can be, should he
For all of the above reasons, I believe that Proposition 16 is not a morally correct law.
Students who want to play in Division One are unfairly judged prematurely, which is absolutely wrong, and is another reason why Proposition 16 should not exist. High school graduates are submitting their SAT scores that were taken during their senior year, and their GPA that is the result of the previous year’s efforts. It seems unfair that students’ academic ability is being measured before ever setting foot on a college campus. Students are rejected on the basis of previous grades, not how well the students are doing at a
The questions posed in the first paragraph were, "Should a defective law be enforced?" "Is it legal for it to be in effect?" and, perhaps even more importantly, "Is it morally wrong to
No, this law should not be enforced because it is wrong both morally and legally. Yes, it is illegal for it to be in effect for the reason that it discriminates against minorities and students with a low income. Yes, it is
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