The Supreme Court recently heard arguments on a case that could fundamentally change the way affirmative action works.

Affirmative action not only helps create a diverse school environment, but a diverse workforce. Many experts believe the court will decide to change at least part of the policy.

The case brings up a long-standing disagreement between conservatives, who tend to see affirmative action as reverse discrimination, and liberals, who see affirmative action as necessary to ensure minorities are given the opportunity to succeed.

The case comes from a student. She sued the University of Texas for not admitting her. State law requires 75 percent of students be admitted based on their class rank, with top 10 percent of high school students automatically admitted. In the remaining 25 percent, race can be considered in the admissions process. It is considered along with factors like admission essays, awards and community service.

Abigail Fisher sued because she was rejected from the University of Texas and believed that because she was white, she was unfairly not admitted.

Affirmative action is a topic that persists in education. It is a theme in the hotly contested Massachusetts Senate race between Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Republican Scott Brown. Brown argues that Warren said she was Native American and was accepted by misleading Harvard University. Brown said to “look at her” as evidence that she cannot possibly be Native American.

In 2003, Chancellor Nancy Cantor helped defend an affirmative action case at the University of Michigan. At a speech last week at Michigan, she said, “If we’re to ensure prosperity in social justice, our efforts to maintain and strengthen the fabric of society must continue and must succeed.

Those against affirmative action believe that admission should be color-blind. No other characteristics other than academic performance should matter. Affirmative action reduces standards, they say. It also might affect the way we perceive minorities’ achievements. We may view their successes as based in their race. Cantor’s stance frustrates those who think this.

College admissions still need to take into account those from diverse backgrounds. Our public schools do not treat minorities equally. Schools that enroll 90 percent or more nonwhite students spend $733 less than schools that enroll 90 percent or more white students, according to a report titled “Unequal Education” by the Center for American Progress. In the United States, schools spend $334 more on every white student than on every nonwhite student.

Spending is only part of the difference between minorities. Spending does not necessarily provide better outcomes. We spend more on pupils than countries who are surpassing us. Yet tracking spending is one way we can highlight the actual difference between races.

A U.S. Department of Education study from 2009 shows that minorities also drop out of high school at higher rates. Nationwide, the overall dropout rate is decreasing, but the study found the dropout rate was “4.8 percent for Blacks and 5.8 percent for Hispanics, compared to 2.4 percent for Whites.”

There is an inescapable inequality in the way race matters in education.

There is support for affirmative action from corporations, too. Microsoft, General Electric, and Wal-Mart were among more than 50 corporations that filed a friend-of-the-court brief to support affirmative action, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. These companies argue that affirmative action helps their businesses by adding diversity.

Race should be one of the many considerations that colleges take into account when accepting students. Certainly it is not the one and only factor that might matter. Schools should not only do their best to educate, but to also ensure people of different backgrounds can get educated.

Harmen Rockler is a senior newspaper journalism and political science major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter at @LeftofBoston.

 

Published on October 22, 2012 at 1:00 am