Affirmative action means establishing a quota system for women and minorities. There is a difference between goals and quotas. Ideally the percentage of women and minorities working in position should be similar to the percentage of women and minorities qualified for such positions. Affirmative action does not mean showing partiality but rather reaching out to candidates and treating them with fairness and equity. Quotas, on the other hand are court assigned to redress a pattern of discriminatory hiring.
Affirmative action means settling for second best.
Affirmative action is not synonymous with mediocrity or second best. However the most qualified candidate may not always be the individual with the most impressive publication record or academic experience. The selection criteria should include the ability of a candidate to contribute to the cultural diversity and to add to the range of research and pedagogical interests. The Pool of women and minorities in many disciplines is so small that it is virtually impossible to find any. There are some fields in which women and minorities have not entered in large numbers, but there are no fields in which women and minorities have not been trained.