Affirmative Action in University Admission Practices

Racial segregation has been a recurrent issue in the US political, economic, and social spheres despite efforts to achieve national unity. One of the most visible efforts is the use of racial quotas by institutions of higher learning to increase the number of minority students. While this approach appears to be a way of accepting and honoring diversity, it raises questions, considering that at the same time, it promotes covert inequality. Regents of the University of California v Bakke (1978) is an example of how a well-meaning admission structure could lock qualified students because of racial affiliation. The Supreme Court made a landmark decision by heralding the institution for its attempt to embrace and advance affirmative action. Essentially, the institution set aside 16 out of 100 slots for minority races to ensure culturally diverse classrooms. As much as this objective is a move in the right direction, it is not laudable enough since it paves the way for other forms of discrimination.

In this case, Allan Bakke was denied admission into this university despite having significantly higher scores on MCAT. The institution defended itself by indicating that these positions were reserved for minority students who were guaranteed admission, despite low scores. This stance is unacceptable as the university was more concerned with its public appearance than advancing equality. In retrospect, the university should use a merit-based approach while admitting students, which is the best way of promoting equality. By using the racial quotas, the university sent the message that students from minority groups could not perform well in high school. If Regents of the University of California and other learning institutions are committed to embracing and honoring diversity, they should use the same admission criteria for all students. Such a move shows that these institutions believe all students have the same potential, despite their racial affiliation or background. Similarly, these institutions should advocate for the designing and adopting policies that favor all American students’ educational rights from kindergarten. This move would go a long way in ensuring that all students work hard to earn university admission.