Students can learn a lot from one another, but only if the student body contains representatives of a wide range of backgrounds. Colleges go out of their way to make sure that their student bodies contain athletes, political activists, and musicians so that each student brings something different to the community. Affirmative action assures that members of all ethnic groups are present within a college. Racial diversity does not necessarily lead to diversity of opinion. Students with different interests and talents make campus life vibrant and ensure that a variety of activities are pursued.
Race is a purely external characteristic and has no effect on what a person brings to a community.
Colleges should try to accept students who have many different interests and will voice a wide range of opinions, but affirmative action is not the best way to achieve this goal. Lowering standards for under-represented groups raises the quality of the student body. Individuals who benefit from affirmative action must achieve academic excellence relative to other people with similar backgrounds. Affirmative action therefore creates a student body that has tremendous academic potential. Affirmative action is based on race, not academic background.