What is Affirmative Action

ETHNIC PARITY GOALS ARE NOT RACE-BASED QUOTAS In responding to our article on achieving ethnic parity in counseling psychology (Atkinson, Brown, & Casas, 1996), Thomas and Weinrach (1998) challenged our goal of ethnic parity for counseling psychology. They also criticized the admissions procedures we described. ETHNIC PARITY AS AN ETHICALLY AND LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE GOAL In our earlier article, we identified ethnic parity, or representation equivalent to that found in the general population (also referred to by some as …

…minority enrollment (and the profession to maintain a goal of achieving ethnic parity), because we believe such a goal is ethically justified and because the counseling needs of the nation demand it. We also urge programs to consider how their current admission criteria may contribute to an overrepresentation of European Americans and an underrepresentation of ethnic minorities (or other underrepresented groups) and how the criteria can be expanded to make the admission process more inclusive.