Race as a Factor in College Admissions: ASA Brief Analysis

Introduction

This paper appraises the document submitted to the United States Supreme Court by the American Sociological Association (ASA) on a Michigan Law School case. It presents a summary of the argument maintained by the ASA and further develops an argument on the relevance of race as a factor considered by college admissions officers in deciding whom to accept.

Ethnic and racial diversity in the student body is considered a valuable educational experience in American higher education. This diversity is also regarded as a means of rectifying problems caused by unfair discrimination against certain groups of people. Due to the low representation of racial and ethnic minority groups in many institutions' student bodies, some admission policies have made allowances for racial preference to be used as an admission criterion to encourage the enrollment of more minority students. However, using racial or ethnic preference as an admission criterion to benefit one group at the expense of others raises the issue of unlawful "reverse" discrimination.

The defining characteristic of an admission policy is the consideration of academic ability, along with an evaluation of the applicant's talents, experiences, and potential to contribute to others' learning. An admission policy requests evaluation of an applicant based on all relevant information submitted in the application file. In considering an applicant for admission, admissions officials examine the applicant's undergraduate grade point average and, for law school, a Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) result. These results, though imperfect, are a significant predictor of academic success (Uerling, 2004).

Admission policies regulate the admission process by specifying that only applicants expected to excel should be admitted. A policy may also set educational objectives beyond grade point averages and test scores by which applicants are judged. Additional factors considered by admissions officials include the individuals recommending the applicant, the quality of the undergraduate institution from which the applicant graduated, the quality of the applicant's personal essay, and the applicant's undergraduate course selection — all evaluated in determining whether the applicant will contribute in some meaningful way to the institution (Uerling, 2004).

Facts of the Case

In 1997, Barbara Grutter, a Caucasian resident of Michigan, applied for admission to the University of Michigan Law School with a 3.8 undergraduate GPA and a 161 LSAT score, but she was denied admission. The school acknowledged that race had played a role in that decision, as it used racial preference as an admission criterion to achieve diversity among the student body.

The district court that presided over the subsequent lawsuit ruled that the law school's interest in achieving racial diversity among the student body was not a compelling governmental interest justifying its use during the admissions process, and enjoined the school from using race as a criterion. On appeal, however, the Court of Appeals held that Justice Powell's opinion in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978) — which recognized the establishment of a racially diverse student body as a compelling governmental interest — constituted binding precedent sufficient to justify the use of racial preference as an admission criterion. The case ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court as Grutter v. Bollinger (Oyez, 2003).

Summary of the ASA Amicus Brief

In early September 2002, the ASA developed an amicus brief under the Council's authority in response to a member resolution approved at the ASA's annual business meeting that same year. The brief contained a summary of sociological research discussing the need to consider race as an admission criterion for college admissions. It supported the University of Michigan Law School and the Student Interveners — minority students who, by court permission, served as co-defendants — in the Grutter case. The brief's contents also applied to the undergraduate admissions process at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, addressed in the companion Gratz case (Bielby, 2003).

The ASA's brief argued, on the basis of social science research, that race defines the life experience of people of color in the United States. The research explained how race influences the school experiences of members of minority groups such as African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and others, with profound effects that persist from childhood into adulthood. Based on the centrality of race to people's lived experiences, the ASA brief concluded that race is a valid component of life experience for admissions consideration. Excluding race from admission criteria, the brief argued, would deny admissions officers the opportunity to contextualize an applicant's life experience and thereby more accurately measure academic potential and ability.

The brief further explained that the consideration of race as an admission criterion is designed to provide fairer opportunities. This approach contrasts with admission plans that guarantee admission to the top ten percent of high school graduates, treating all such applicants identically without accounting for life experiences. Research by Martha Tienda and her colleagues demonstrated that such percentage plans have proven ineffective and tend to regress racial and ethnic diversity rather than promote it (Bielby, 2003).

The ASA Council approved the brief at its February 2003 meeting. Other signatories included the Association of Black Sociologists, the Law and Society Association, the American Psychological Association, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS). Separate briefs were also filed by the American Psychological Association and the American Educational Research Association. It was anticipated that the Michigan case would receive more amicus brief submissions than any other case previously brought before the Supreme Court (Bielby, 2003).

Conclusion

This paper supports the argument that race should be a considering factor in the college admissions process. The argument supporting this claim is based on the value of increasing diversity in the educational system and enabling students to grow beyond academic knowledge by developing new world views through meaningful new interactions. The promotion of fairness and equality also supports this position, as admissions processes that account for life experiences produce more equitable outcomes.

While this paper advocates for the consideration of race as a qualifying factor in college admissions, it equally supports evaluating a student's overall assets and experiences to determine admissions eligibility. Applying both factors together would encourage universities to revise how applications are evaluated in ways that promote racial equity without abandoning individualized, holistic review.