Raced-Based Admissions in Higher Education
Race-Based Admission in Higher Education
Linh Nguyen
Northeastern University
Professor Daniel Volchok
EDU 6220
Section 1
November 8, 2012
Race-Based Admission in Higher Education
In 1992, a young White woman by the name of Cheryl Hopwood applied to the University of Texas Law School. Although she had above average LSAT scores and a good undergraduate grade point average, she was denied admission. Four years later Hopwood, along with four other plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit against the University of Texas Law School for reverse discrimination (Savage). This was the first case to challenge race-based admissions since the 1978 Supreme Court Ruling that race could be used as a factor in considering admissions. Furthermore, the Hopwood case has pushed the critical examination of affirmative action into the forefront.
Affirmative action is a term used to describe the laws and social policies that are implemented as a means to alleviate discrimination that limits opportunities of various racial groups (Crosby p. 587). It was created to end discrimination and promote equal opportunity in education and work (Crosby p. 588). In order to increase the amount of minorities on college campuses, universities began to consider race as a factor in their admissions decisions. The decision to include race as a factor in admissions is controversial. Many arguments for affirmative action in college admissions argue on behalf of the universities’ goals and aspirations. However, college students also gain educational benefits from race-based admissions policies.
The first case to challenge race-based admissions was the 1978 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (Bowen and Bok p. 10). However, recently there have been many lawsuits filed against universities’ admissions policies. For example, in addition to the 1996 case of Hopwood v. State of Texas, the University of Michigan was also sued. In 1997, the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), a Washington, DC based
Linh Nguyen
Northeastern University
Professor Daniel Volchok
EDU 6220
Section 1
November 8, 2012
Race-Based Admission in Higher Education
In 1992, a young White woman by the name of Cheryl Hopwood applied to the University of Texas Law School. Although she had above average LSAT scores and a good undergraduate grade point average, she was denied admission. Four years later Hopwood, along with four other plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit against the University of Texas Law School for reverse discrimination (Savage). This was the first case to challenge race-based admissions since the 1978 Supreme Court Ruling that race could be used as a factor in considering admissions. Furthermore, the Hopwood case has pushed the critical examination of affirmative action into the forefront.
Affirmative action is a term used to describe the laws and social policies that are implemented as a means to alleviate discrimination that limits opportunities of various racial groups (Crosby p. 587). It was created to end discrimination and promote equal opportunity in education and work (Crosby p. 588). In order to increase the amount of minorities on college campuses, universities began to consider race as a factor in their admissions decisions. The decision to include race as a factor in admissions is controversial. Many arguments for affirmative action in college admissions argue on behalf of the universities’ goals and aspirations. However, college students also gain educational benefits from race-based admissions policies.
The first case to challenge race-based admissions was the 1978 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (Bowen and Bok p. 10). However, recently there have been many lawsuits filed against universities’ admissions policies. For example, in addition to the 1996 case of Hopwood v. State of Texas, the University of Michigan was also sued. In 1997, the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), a Washington, DC based
Cited: Altbach, P., Lomotey, K., and Kyle, S.. (1999). “Race in Higher Education: The Continuing Crisis.” American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century: Social, Bowen, W. and Bok, D. (1994) The Shape of the River: Long Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions Chang, M. (1999) “Does Racial Diversity Matter? The Educational Impact of a Racially Diverse Undergraduate Population.” Journal of College Student Development Connerly, W. (2000) “My fight against race preferences: A quest toward creating equal." The Chronicle of Higher Education Crosby, Faye. (1994) “Understanding affirmative action”. Basic and Applied Social Psychology. Retrieved November 01, 2012 from http://carmine.se.edu/cvonbergen/Understanding%20Affirmative%20Action.pdf Dovidio, J. F., and Gaertner, S. (1998) “On the Nature of Contemporary Prejudice: The Causes, Consequences, and Challenges of Aversive Racism.” Confronting Racism: Gurin, P. (1999) “Expert report of Patricia Gurin, in the Compelling need for Diversity in Higher Education.” Gratz et al Decision.” Retrieved November 01, 2012 from http://www.michigandaily.com/content/eight-year-battle-over-admissions-policies-may- 01, 2012 from http://articles.latimes.com/1996-07-02/news/mn-20393_1_high-court