Book of Constitutional Law

My day began with the rather controversial topic of Affirmative Action. In class today, we discussed the cases of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, Gratz v. Bollinger, Grutter v. Bollinger, and Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District. 

The case I found to be most interesting was Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. Alan Bakke, a privileged white male, was denied admission into the medical program at UC Davis. In this situation, he was considered "disadvantaged" in the applicant pool, as UC Davis had 16 out of 100 spots reserved solely for "minorities". This system was rather unfair, as Bakke had received similar test scores and grades as those minorities who gained admission. Bakke appealed to the Supreme court, and found that Davis's system violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I believe that the college admissions programs should be "race-blind", and accept students solely on merit, rather than their heritage or the color of their skin.

During the afternoon session, my class took a field trip to the National Historical Society and learned more about the topic of Civil Rights. Our tour guide made the history seem so intriguing, as he spoke with such a passion for the Civil Rights Movement. We were able to see some authentic photos from the third march of the Civil Rights Movement, including the iconic photo of the back of MLK's head facing his attentive audience. Our tour guide made us do different activities that broadened our knowledge on the Civil Rights Movement such as the literacy exam to vote from Louisiana and an analytical picture exercise. The tour was o much more interesting than I had expected, and I feel enlightened with some new knowledge from the Civil Rights Movement.

New friends! 

After our exciting field trip, we returned to Columbia University where I was able to prepare for my night affair to the Book of Mormon. It was presented in the beautiful Jujamcyn Theater, which featured soft seats, great views, and a snack bar! The musical itself was astounding. I thought that the singers were just singing from a track, until I noticed the orchestral pit underground! (Yeah, it's a literal pit.) The Book of Mormon was a religiously satirical musical that pushed the boundaries of "political correctness". I found it to be edgy, funny, factual, and rather irrverent, but even through this humor there was still an underlying positive message. I definitely recommend the Book of Mormon to anyone looking for a good laugh, catchy songs, and a seriously great performance. Just keep an open mind!