Racial diversity has long been a hot-button issue in higher education, and several recent events have served to highlight the topic even more.
Affirmative action is once again under the gun as a potentially critical case is being brought before the Supreme Court in Fisher v. University of Texas.
IU recently filed an amicus brief along with several other universities in support of the University of Texas’ decision to implement affirmative action. The Editorial Board supports this stance, as well as other efforts the University of Texas has made to improve diversity amongst its student body.
Abigail Fisher, a white woman, originally brought suit against the University of Texas in 2008 after she was not accepted to the university’s Austin campus. Fisher has made the claim she was denied admission because of the university’s admissions policies allowing for the consideration of race.
Despite Fisher’s claim that her 14th Amendment rights had been violated, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing the case sided with the university. Fisher appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the high court sent the case back to the lower court for another review. After the circuit court again sided with the university, the Supreme Court is hearing the case for a second time.
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “‘affirmative action’ means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education and culture from which they have been historically excluded.” The idea of preferred admission for women and minorities is extremely controversial, especially for members of dominant social groups.
The Editorial Board believes IU’s willingness to come forward in support of the University of Texas is important and positive. While affirmative action might not be entirely perfect in theory, it’s a valuable effort to correct systemic sexism, racism, classism and ethnocentrism. Left alone to find an uninfluenced state, university acceptances would undoubtedly come to consist of a disproportionately white and middle- to upper-class population.
In addition to the practice of affirmative action, the University of Texas also abides by a top 10 percent system. Through this initiative, students within the top 10 percent of their graduating class are automatically granted admission to the University of Texas. According to IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor David Orentlicher, this setup can encourage students from disproportionately low-income areas to pursue a quality post-secondary education. In turn, high schools can use this program to empower students and connect them with their potential.
The outcome of this particular case could set the tone for affirmative action cases for years to come. Just like IU, we hope that affirmative action sees victory.
