A new Washington Post/ABC News poll finds that more than three-quarters of American adults believe race should not be considered in the college admissions process. The Supreme Court is set to rule on an important affirmative action case involving the University of Texas as early as Monday but definitely by the end of the month. Both Democrats and Republicans voiced widespread opposition to considering race in college admissions. And there was little racial division in opposition to the practice. Hispanics were less likely than Whites or Blacks to oppose using race in college admissions.
The poll also found that only 45 percent of American adults supported affirmative action programs of any kind. This is the first time in more than two decades where opponents of affirmative action outnumbered supporters.
This news seems to be the basis of much debate over the internet at this point, and I personally believe that the poll itself is a good sign of how much the country has progressed and its about time that the college admission policies progress too.
What I find intriguing is this; so many Americans think that 300 + years of intense repression and institutionalized discrimination have been compensated for by a mere 53 years of mildly corrective policies (if we count from 1960).
To add to that, none of those policies have effectively attacked the core problems that keep the affected groups at a disadvantage to this day. Affirmative Action was a good first step, but no other policies have been implemented to build on that momentum. In my opinion, its elimination will simply result in a general return to the former state, albeit in a different guise.
While I agree that it should not be a major factor, I do believe it should be able to be used as a factor. I agree with the evidence supporting the notion that all students are enriched by an inclusive student body. If the use of race is excluded as a factor in admissions, then majority institutions will revert to the ‘good old days’, where only rich mainstream children could attend college.
Additionally, does this mean that legacy status will also be struck down? I think not, as the same group who probably most protests against AA, would fight tooth and nail against losing the preferential benefits of legacy status ( which is their own private preference category, although it is never mentioned, or on the board for discussion).