CQPRESS
Affirmative Action and College Admissions
Should racial and ethnic preferences continue?
By Tom Price November 17, 2017 Volume 27, Issue 41
The Supreme Court has upheld the use of race in college admissions, but affirmative action is facing new challenges. Many whites continue to oppose giving preference to minorities to compensate for discrimination and to diversify campuses, and the Trump administration says it may sue universities practicing intentional discrimination. Several critics question affirmative action's effectiveness, citing minorities' continued under-representation at elite universities. But affirmative action's defenders say it has helped raise minority representation on campuses, and that most universities rely on a holistic admissions approach that looks at applicants' public service, creativity and other attributes, as well as race. Georgetown and other schools are pursuing innovative ways to diversify their student bodies, such as admitting the descendants of slaves owned by their institutions. Meanwhile, activist Edward Blum has filed numerous suits challenging laws and policies that favor minorities over whites.
Overview
Abigail Fisher is an unassuming 27-year-old from Sugar Land, Texas, who played the cello and dreamed of attending the University of Texas at Austin, the alma mater of her sister and father.
She also is at the center of a legal storm involving affirmative action. For the past nine years, Fisher has maintained that the university rejected her application in 2008 because she is white, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Her lawsuit twice landed at the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently producing the landmark 2016 ruling that the school could treat race as a relevant feature within the broader context of a candidate's application.
Nevertheless, Fisher and an advocacy group backing her, Students for Fair Admissions, filed a new lawsuit in late June in state court, arguing that the university's use of racial preferences in admissions violates state law and the Texas Constitution.
Affirmative Action and College Admissions
Should racial and ethnic preferences continue?
By Tom Price November 17, 2017 Volume 27, Issue 41
The Supreme Court has upheld the use of race in college admissions, but affirmative action is facing new challenges. Many whites continue to oppose giving preference to minorities to compensate for discrimination and to diversify campuses, and the Trump administration says it may sue universities practicing intentional discrimination. Several critics question affirmative action's effectiveness, citing minorities' continued under-representation at elite universities. But affirmative action's defenders say it has helped raise minority representation on campuses, and that most universities rely on a holistic admissions approach that looks at applicants' public service, creativity and other attributes, as well as race. Georgetown and other schools are pursuing innovative ways to diversify their student bodies, such as admitting the descendants of slaves owned by their institutions. Meanwhile, activist Edward Blum has filed numerous suits challenging laws and policies that favor minorities over whites.
Overview
Abigail Fisher is an unassuming 27-year-old from Sugar Land, Texas, who played the cello and dreamed of attending the University of Texas at Austin, the alma mater of her sister and father.
She also is at the center of a legal storm involving affirmative action. For the past nine years, Fisher has maintained that the university rejected her application in 2008 because she is white, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Her lawsuit twice landed at the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently producing the landmark 2016 ruling that the school could treat race as a relevant feature within the broader context of a candidate's application.
Nevertheless, Fisher and an advocacy group backing her, Students for Fair Admissions, filed a new lawsuit in late June in state court, arguing that the university's use of racial preferences in admissions violates state law and the Texas Constitution.
