b'AFFIRMATIVE ACTION . continued from page 4However, the justices ruled in Grutter that thereRacialaffirmativeactiondoesn\'tunderminebans also suggests the idea is based on a false was nothing unconstitutional about the way racemerit dichotomy. Since California passed Prop 209 in was included in the law school\'s holistic admis- "I\'mhopingthatthey\'llcompletelytakerace1996barringracialconsiderationsforcollege sions policy. out of the issue in terms of admissions and thatadmissions at public universities, UC Berkeley Theprimarydistinctionbetweenthetwoeveryone will be able to get into any school thatwitnessedasignificantdropinthenumberof decisionshadtodowiththeweightgiventotheywantnomatterwhatracetheyarebutblack students, from 8 percent preProp 209 to raceinaffirmativeactionadmissionspolicies.solely based on their merit and they work hardan average of 3.6 percent of the freshman class Nonetheless, Justice Sandra Day O\'Connor hadfor it," Fisher told the New York Times in 2012. from 2006 to 2010.high hopes for such programs. But does race inherently undermine an admit\'sBut that drop isn\'t necessarily tied to under-"We expect that 25 years from now, the use ofqualifications? qualifiedstudentsofcolor.Rather,58percent racial preferences will no longer be necessary toThe question itself is dubious considering theof black students admitted from 2006 to 2010 further the interest approved today," O\'Connorfact that other forms of affirmative action, includ- rejectedBerkeley\'sofferofadmission.Alumni, wrote for the majority in Grutter. ing gender, are rarely mentioned. The aforemen- administrators, and current students noted that JusticeAnthonyKennedy,whilerecogniz- tionedCCESsurvey,whichonlyaskedabouta possible reason could be a feeling of isolation, ingtheUniversity\'scomplexpolicy,reiteratedracial affirmative action, is just one example. or lack of other students of color, at UC\'s flag-O\'Connor\'s sentiments in Fisher. shipcampusanironicconsequenceofthe Yetit\'sawidespreadassumptionthatevenaffirmative action ban."TheCourt\'saffirmanceoftheUniversity\'sJustice Antonin Scalia brought to the fore lastAsian-American applicants also challenge the admissionspolicytodaydoesnotnecessar- December during oral arguments for the Fishercolorblindmeritocracymyth.Accordingtoa ily mean the University may rely on that samecase. He asserted that affirmative action hurtssociological study in 2009, white applicants were policywithoutrefinement,"KennedywroteforAfrican-Americanstudentsbyputtingtheminthree times more likely to be admitted to selec-the majority opinion. "It is the University\'s ongo- elite institutions they are not prepared for. Studytive schools than Asian applicants with the exact ing obligation to engage in constant deliberationafter study shows there\'s simply no evidence forsame academic record. And a 2013 survey found and continued reflection regarding its admissionthe claim. thatwhiteadultsinCaliforniadeemphasize policies." AlookattheeffectsofaffirmativeactionContinued on Page 171.Eric Waddell - TheTitledJourney 6.Erskin - Live Louder2.Brent Jones - Nothing7.Kierra Sheard - All YoursElse Matters 8.ElevationWorship - Can 3.Tasha Cobbs Leonard -You ImageHymns 9.Jonathan Mcreynolds - 4.P. J. Morton - Watch TheMy TruthSun 10 Whitney Houston - I Go 5.Lauren Daigle - SelfTo The Rock16 JULY 2023 BOCNEWS.com'