At a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing the idea ofexcluding race as a factor in college admissions, three prominentadministrators from Northwestern and the University of Michigan onThursday night stressed the importance of designing diverseacademic institutions through the use of affirmative-actionpolicies.
“As an educational institution, diversity is the hallmark ofacademic excellence,” said Marvin Krislov, Michigan’s vicepresident and general counsel, at the McCormick Tribune Centerforum in front of more than 70 students. “We are interested increating a vibrant learning environment with diverse andinteresting groups of students.”
On April 1, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two casesinvolving the admissions practices of Michigan’s undergraduate andlaw schools. Krislov, who devised Michigan’s defense strategy inthe court cases, spoke with University President Henry Bienen andAssistant to the President Eugene Lowe Jr. at the lecture, whichwas part of the Office of Student Affairs’ inaugural UndergraduateLecture Series on Race, Poverty and Inequality.
Michigan’s admissions office came under scrutiny because itawards extra credit to minority students via an admissions pointsystem. Any student who submits an application to the school canaccumulate more than 120 points on a scale that gives points forfactors such as standardized test scores, grade point averages andfamily legacy. But the court case specifically challengesMichigan’s use of race in the process, as applicants receive 20points if they are black or Latino.
The court is expected to make a ruling on the case bysummer.
Many people, including President Bush, reject Michigan’s policyand call it a “hidden quota system,” according to Krislov. But, headded, such a view incorrectly isolates race as the most prominentfactor in the admissions process.
“This is not a numbers exercise,” Krislov said. “There are manywhite students with lower test scores than the plaintiffs who areadmitted. It goes to show that there are many factorsinvolved.”
Although he does not advocate the use of a point-based system atNU, Bienen defended the right for a university to admit students ontheir own premises. NU joined many other universities in filing afriend-of-the-court brief in support of Michigan and also practicesaffirmative action during the admissions process.
“What it all boils down to is we take race into account,” Bienensaid. “We also take into account how fast you run as a footballplayer and how you can help the university. … It should be up tous to create the class that we want.”
Attendee Sarah Miller said she admired the speakers fordefending the use of race as a factor in college admission.
“I appreciated the idea that race is a consideration, but noteverything,” said Miller, an Education freshman.
Lowe, editor of “Promise and Dilemma: Perspectives on RacialDiversity & Higher Education,” briefly described the history ofracism and inequality in the United States from the 1896 Plessy v.Ferguson case that established the “separate but equal” clause tothe present situation. Lowe said the hardest issue in dealing withaffirmative action is trying to reconcile the issue of judgingpeople by the color of the skin.
“It raises questions of how can we get to a color-blind societywithout serious consideration and integration,” Lowe said.
Weinberg senior Tom Sherman told audience members he was”strongly opposed to affirmative action” because he feels it’sunnecessary to make up for past discrimination against minoritygroups. Still, he said he appreciated the panelists’ comments.
“I was impressed that all three of the panelists presented theirideas with a minimal amount of hedging,” Sherman said. “Iappreciate their honesty, but I don’t agree with them.”
