The Supreme Court revisits affirmative action

USD students discuss possible implications 

LUCAS HODSON / ASST. NEWS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

ABIGAIL CAVIZO / NEWS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Affirmative action is a program conscious of students’ race when individuals apply for college. Race is considered in the application process, because by ­– recognizing it — this program is acknowledging the racial barriers students may or may not have faced in their educational endeavors. Beginning in the late 1960s and 1970s, universities started to implement affirmative action into their admission decisions. On Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, The Supreme Court started hearing arguments about whether race should play a role in college admissions through the policy of affirmative action, but it has not yet made a decision on the cases.

The Court will hear two separate cases, one from Harvard University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and another from the University of North Carolina. These schools were chosen because the challengers, in these cases, stated that the schools violate equal protection principles and that they discriminate against Asian American students. Both schools claim that a diverse student body is necessary to achieve their educational mission.

Eight states have banned affirmative action from being used for admission to colleges: Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington.  

USD sophomore Julia Swenson-Wilker stated that, while race can be important in background and identity, it should not take precedence over qualifications. 

“I don’t think race alone should be a deciding factor, but what they have been through, where they are from and other factors like that should be considered,” Swenson-Wilker said.

First-year Ryan Clemens thinks minority students are at a disadvantage because of the American public school system. 

“I think that the stats show the issue with the school system in America. Depending on the neighborhoods and wealth/class people grow up, they are given less opportunities and are already starting at a disadvantage,” Clemens said. 

USD sophomore Christian Thames stated that while USD is predominantly white, they do offer a lot of programs for minority students. 

“USD is a private school and the price is up there, and I would say that it definitely prevents minority students from being able to attend as much as they want to. Besides lowering tuition and making more viable programs for minority students, I don’t know of anything else they can do to make the school more diverse,” Thames said. “They do provide a lot of support for different multicultural groups on campus and that is something that is beneficial.”

California is not one of the eight states that ban affirmative action. USD Admissions states on the USD website that they have a holistic application process. 

USD gave a statement about their application process:

“The University of San Diego (USD) places great value on having a campus community with a rich diversity of people and ideas and supports our role as a contemporary Catholic institution. USD follows a holistic applicant review process that allows the admissions staff to evaluate each individual thoroughly, valuing both academic accomplishments and personal qualities and stories, to the fullest extent allowed by law.” 

If the Supreme Court removes affirmative action, colleges such as Harvard and UNC assert that there will be a drop in Black and Hispanic students going to their schools. They also stated that race is almost impossible to eliminate in the decision process, because many of their students’ identities come from their race or ethnicity. Their argument pulls from an overarching debate about ‘colorblind racism.’ This term refers to viewing people of color without their race in mind, minimizing the experiences they may have endured due to the color of their skin. 

While California will not be affected, many schools and minority students could be impacted by the decision about affirmative action. The Supreme Court is likely to come to a decision about affirmative action sometime in 2023.