This paper discusses the ethical decision making and the implications of ethical decision in conjunction with preferential admissions. It deals with the preferential admissions that are due to race, student athletes, and alumni children. The main case that is used is the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. This case is about a white middle aged male, Allan Bakke, that was twice denied admission to the school because of an affirmative action program. The program sets aside 16 places out of 100 students for minority students that are admitted by a "special program". Was it ethical? Also discusses the implication of the decision and how it may change cases in the future. .
Ethical Decision Making.
The impact of ethics on decision making is profound. Making decisions based on ethics can change many ways society sees the world. There are many different decisions that people make that could have been different if thought through ethically. These days" personal and professional areas are being looked at more closely due to ethical fiascos that have recently occurred. Many elements need to be considered to make an ethical decision. "An ethically defensible decision includes a number of important elements." (Josephson, 2002). Through research I found that ground rules are the most important element in decision making. There are informal ground rules that include: "religion, family values, personal experiences, and race," and more formalized ground rules that are engrained in the philosophy of ethics. One of the most profound ethical decisions that I see many face more often than not is preferential admissions in to universities and colleges. This can include preference due to race, student athletes, and alumni. .
One of the most important cases that dealt with preferential admissions was Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. This case tried in the late 1970's was dealing with the lawfulness for the admissions program at the University of California Medical School at Davis.