Supreme Court Case Could Change the Face of College Campuses
With reversal on affirmative action, enrollments could become less diverse.
Hispanics, African Americans and Asians make up about 30 percent of George Mason University's student body, but, a few years from now, that percentage could drop if the Supreme Court reverses its position on affirmative action.
Last week, the court announced it will hear arguments this fall for a Texas case in which the plaintiff claims she was discriminated against attending the University of Texas because she is white.
The use of affirmative action in college admissions was last upheld in 2003, but the makeup of the Supreme Court has since changed significantly. In The Huffington Post, law professor Ediberto Roman said he believes the conservative bloc of justices will likely eradicate the practice "once and for all."
The court's ultimate decision could have major implications. A reversal of the current opinion would change the way hundreds of college admissions departments around the country use affirmative action policies to sift through millions of applications each year. According to data compiled by U.S. News & World Report, it could affect thousands of students applying to George Mason University alone.
University of Virginia Law Professor Tomiko Brown-Nagin says historical data suggests the elimination of affirmative action would likely result in whiter college campuses.
"After the passage of one of the propositions in California that banned the use of race in admissions, the number of blacks and Hispanics admitted to the flagship schools did decrease significantly," Brown-Nagin said.
But, she explained, the use of affirmative action has been more nuanced since the court's 2003 decision. "Many institutions have already cut back on their use of affirmative action policies ... (they) consider it among several other factors. It has to be non-determinative."
For some schools, the Supreme Court ruling will have no bearing on admissions. Smaller campuses like Marymount University in Arlington and community schools like Northern Virginia Community College don't use affirmative action at all. Open admissions allow students who qualify based on test scores and grades to automatically enroll.
The policy is really only used by the most competitive schools in the country, Brown-Nagin said. "Those are the ones that really have their choice of applicants and all of the applicants are quite competitive," she said.
A spokesman for George Mason University emphasized that the school has no specific diversity quotas. Georgetown University, another competitive school that uses affirmative action, released a statement to Patch explaining its admissions department takes a "holistic approach to the undergraduate admissions process" and that "We are watching with interest the developments from the Supreme Court."
Qian Tsai, the director of the demographics and workforce group at the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, said regardless of the affirmative action ruling, college campuses will become more diverse in the long run.
"In the next 10 to 15 years, white will be the minority," Tsai said. "We’re already seeing that now in the under 18 population, Hispanics and Asians are growing rapidly. That has to do with the birth rate."
Tsai said it's hard to predict how college demographics will change if the court reverses the policy.
"It's possible that we would see an increase in the white population in the college campus" in the short-term, she said.
But Brown-Nagin isn't convinced that affirmative action is all-but dead. She thinks Justice Anthony Kennedy, who many believe will vote with the traditionally conservative justices, could swing his vote in favor of the policy.
"He always has an interesting take on the use of race by educational institutions," she said. "He could be skeptical, but he could have a different view. That could mean the outcome is not so certain as some people seem to think it is."
In This article
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George Mason University Fairfax Campus
4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA -
Marymount University
2807 N Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA -
Northern Virginia Community College
8333 Little River Tpke, Annandale, VA -
Georgetown University: Main Campus
3700 O St NW, Washington, DC
Terry Lee
7:05 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Lauren Sausser: Is this supposed to be a news article or opinion column? You are making a wildly incorrect conclusion based on what you read in the Huffington Post. As you found when seeking comments from the colleges and universities, there is not a single educational institution in Northern Virginia that would expect its racial demographics to change because of this Supreme Court case. In fact, as whites become a minority population in Fairfax County - do a story on that if you will - there will be an increase in the percentage of minorities at our colleges and universities.
There is not a single fact in your article that supports your headline, "With reversal on affirmative action, enrollments could become less diverse." Nothing that supports your opening sentence either. Maybe you could find a college somewhere in the United States that would be affected, and put this article in their Patch. But Fairfax City? No way.
Comment?
Lauren Sausser
9:14 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Hey Terry, I appreciate the comment and the questions. The headline and the first paragraph both use the word "could" because a University of Virginia law professor (who I quote in the article) told me that when California, one of the most diverse states in the country, eliminated the use of affirmative action, the student bodies at the most competitive schools became less diverse.
To underscore your point, I have a demographer quoted in the article who says college campuses will become more diverse with or without affirmative action in the long-run, but the short-term effects (if the court reverses its position) are less clear.
I certainly didn't insert any of my personal opinion in the article, but, again, I appreciate the feedback. Thanks for reading.
Lauren
Frank
12:44 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Lauren,
You are injecting your political opinions into this piece. And as supported by your history of posting on HuffPo and for MTV, it's obvious which side you're on.
First, the one legal expert you consult is a well-known liberal defender of affirmative action. Is there any question she's going to defend the practice and exaggerate the harms? Did you even try to get an opinion on the other side of the debate? Surely between the more libertarian/conservative professors at GMU law or a DC think tank, you could have found someone who might disagree with your preconceived conclusions.
Second, your statement that colleges "could" become less diverse can only be correct if you focus solely on race, and even then only if you don't count Asian-Americans. If you'd actually look at the numbers in California, while Hispanic and black admission percentages have decreased at the elite public universities, the percentage of Asian-Americans have increased. Overall minority percentages did not drastically changed. Moreover, according to public opinion polls, most Americans recognize that diversity is not defined solely by race (unlike your UVA professor and HuffPo writers).
The real issue for people like Tomiko who favor institutionalized racism is that she feels her favored group might be harmed. Indeed, implicit in her answers is her belief that having more white people at college is wrong. Is there any evidence she shares MLK’s dream of a colorblind society?
Terry Lee
3:30 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Lauren, appreciate the reply. I'd suggest a more appropriate headline for this article would be, "With reversal on affirmative action, college enrollments in Virginia not likely to become less diverse."
Ben Glass
8:25 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Having now put 4 kids through Virginia universities, I doubt this decision will have a lot of effect on how Virginia's campuses look. From observation only, they tend to be very diverse in terms of race, religion, backgrounds, talents, skills, interests.
The challenge of course is in making college available and affordable for those who want to go to college... its not right for everyone... Is there is any "preference" that should be emphasized for Virginia's colleges, it probably should be a "preference" for Virginia residents. Now, that is a stat that has been changing (by observation) over the years...most likely because out of state students pay more...
Terry Lee
3:04 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Ben - Yes! I'd love for Virginia colleges to give more priority to legal Virginia residents. My son is attending an excellent school in Pennsylvania, but it's costing us (and him) a fortune. On the other hand, Virginia's community college system saved us a lot of money, and enough credits transferred to make him a junior.
By the way, you have a truly amazing and outstanding family. I love reading about them in your mailings, though I hope never to need to be a client :).
Mike James
9:47 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Diversity, as we see in nature, makes a system stronger. If you don't believe in science however, then that wouldn't make sense. People who are afraid of diversity are also usually afraid of educating the populace. Once someone starts thinking for themselves they usually throw off the shackles of their previously held narrow viewpoints. The strength of this country comes from it's diversity and it's ability to educate it's populace. If we really wanted to make our country stronger we would give college and trade school education away for free to those who wanted it. Doing this however would be a serious threat to one of our political parties who currently attack education and anything to do with an intelligent populace as being elitist and/or snobbery.
T Ailshire
11:26 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Doing this, however, would be a political coup for one of our political parties who believe colleges and universities must lower their standards so ALL individuals are capable of handling the work, and that no insitution of higher education should be so elitist as to require standards that are above 4th grade math.
Fortunately, private schools are mostly free to take the best, regardless of their party affiliation, race, ethnicity, or gender.
Jody
11:43 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
I'm only afraid of the dumbing down of America. Admissions should be solely based on academic accomplishment and aptitude. Not on your race, ethnic origin, economic situation, religion, and especially not on how much community service you did. This trend of giving equal value to community service seems to be the replacement for affirmative action. A way to accept one student over another who has higher academic scores based on their "civic mindedness." I saw a sign in Kohl's saying they were offering a scholarship for students who had demonstrated good service to their community. What happened to academic scholarships? We are heading down a slippery slope to a lower level of academic standards.
Mike Kane
12:23 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
You are so incredibly ignorant. College nowadays doesn't hardly teach applicable job skills, so what's the point?
When you subsidize something you get more of it, therefore a demand higher than market price. The subsidies keep the cost of education very high.
Mike James
2:04 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
I don't believe in lowering standards, if you can't pass the entrance exam or keep your grades up you shouldn't be in the mainstream school system. We should reward those who do value a higher education by giving it away for free. That doesn't mean we as a society shouldn't offer other alternatives. President Obama laid it out clearly here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPvbVA3SKIs
Mike, I see that you're a little angry. Dr. Paul isn't going to win on promoting Armageddon or with anger/fear. College today teaches someone how to learn on their own. It teaches critical thinking skills which is way more important that specific skills. With critical thinking skills someone can more easily learn any job. Everyone in this country owes a great deal of thanks for subsidized education, there are benefits that are incalculable. What a horrible nation this would be if we did everything based on cost analysis. By trying to take away the rights of others to a higher education only dumbs down the populace and has no place in a forward looking, compassionate and reality based society.
Ryan C Roth
11:21 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
California Prop 209 is what the VA law professor was referencing. Which has had some negative effects even with efforts to increase diversity in those colleges. I'm not as concerned about race as much as I'm concerned about the quality of public education gap between areas.
ed
11:46 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Are we talking diversity or money? As workers of all races decrease in number and funds dry up - added to colleges raising their rates, it seems to me that colleges will take more minorities (of which whites will soon be added to the list) as long as they can get money from somewhere. If grants and scholarships dry up there will be plenty of room for students of any race- just bring money! And please don't expect college salaries or tuiitions to decrease. Each semester will be costlier than the last.
Mike Kane
2:19 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
This country is on the verge of a real economic collapse (see national debt clock) and you are advocating more spending ? How do you suggest we pay for said programs?
Mike James
2:40 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
See this is what I'm talking about, The country is NOT on the verge of any collapse. The only reason why you think that is because you need to win an election and you do that by screaming fire in the circus tent. The clowns then go running around whipping up the crowd. Does the country need some help right now, you betcha! (in my best caribou barbie voice). President Obama gave you 4 billion dollar deficit reduction plan (1/4 of the total deficit) and you folks threw back in his face. So who is the fiscally responsible adult here? The independents, democrats and even about 10% of the republicans know who it is. The real problem is that while the president was saving the world he didn't frame the question before the republicans did it for him so he lost that advantage and the 2010 midterms to the nutballery. In my best James Carville voice "it's not a deficit problem, it's a revenue issue dummies!". How do we solve the deficit issue, real quick actually. Get rid of all corporate welfare queen handouts, take away all tax exemptions for churches, reduce the military by 25% and tax everyone with income over a million dollars 10% more..sacrifice shared..problem solved!
Terry Lee
3:19 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Gerry Connolly just announced that he and President Obama will halve the National Debt in five years. Not the annual budget deficit, the debt. It's the truth!
http://nbc12.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/connolly-launches-truth-squad-defends-obama-budget/
Anoneemous
3:45 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The best way to end racial discrimination is to end racial discrimination. Imagine, college entrance being based on one's abilities and accomplishments, as opposed to one's race? What will blacks and hispanics do when they have to compete on a level playing field? My, my! Perish the thought!
Anoneemous
3:48 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
I fotgot to add in my first comment that if the Oakton Patch is going to survive, it will need to clean up this trash journalism such as this one written by Sausser, or call it what it is, an opinion piece with a strong, liberal bias.
Common Sense
8:48 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
I grew up in a so called "diverse" community. (I am a 'minority' by the way) My parents raised me properly. I worked hard in school & stayed out of trouble. I focused on improving my life by learning and having an open mind. I did not make sports, celebrities & fashion become my priority. In the end, I went to a good school, and have a good job. All this wasn't because of my 'race' but because of what me and my family believe in and worked for. I have black friends who are successful because of what they have achieved, not because of their race. If we want an even playing field, we should teach our young ones to value opportunity & work hard, so they can achieve what they deserve, and not expect it to be handed to them ...this goes for ALL races
Anoneemous
10:12 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
To "Common Sense".
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading your comment, not because it was somewhat aligned with my view of AA, but because it really goes directly to the issue of what it takes to achieve your dreams in our wonderful country, what ever those dreams are.
I support Affirmative Action (AA), when it means that I, as an individual and as a business man, should make an effort to hire a "qualified" minority when I look around my business and see mostly white faces.
AA means to me that I have an obligation to hire a minority when that person has the "minimum" skills necessary to do the job I need done. It also means that I should also train, guide, and coach that minority to be more than minimally qualified to help that person be "highly qualified and competitive". It's called "mentoring".
My 40 years of experience with this AA approach has been hugely successful for me and for my employees when I was dealing with a minority person that demonstrated the kinds of values that you describe in your comment. When I hired a minority person who was energetic, self-motivating, always seeking more knowledge and skills, I found that I was more than willing to do what it takes to help them improve. This was also true of white employees.
My gripe is that the laws that created Affirmative Action have been highjacked and twisted to mandate QUOTAS, which are specifically against the laws that created AA.