Bush's negative action
A BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL
1/17/2003
THE CRISIS in higher education is not affirmative action. It's soaring college
costs and the fact that only a quarter of the population completes four years
of college. Despite this, the battle of the day is over affirmative action lawsuits
against the University of Michigan's college and law school that will be argued
before the Supreme Court. On Wednesday, President Bush called Michigan's methods
''fundamentally flawed.'' Bush's remarks were inflammatory, inaccurate, and
incomplete.
He used the word ''quota'' four times. But Michigan does not set aside a number of seats for minorities. Instead, percentages go up and down depending on the applicant pool. And Michigan does not consistently accept minority students with weaker records than white students. In fact, the school admits some white students who have lower grades and test scores than both white and minority applicants whom the school rejects.
Barbara Grutter is a white woman suing the law school for not admitting her to the class entering in 1997. Michigan did accept students with lower grades and scores than Grutter's to that class: Some were minorities, but 16 were white. Bush noted that being a minority is worth 20 points (of 150) in Michigan's undergraduate admission process, but getting a perfect standardized test score is worth only 12 points. This sounds unfair, as if Michigan valued race more than hard work. But Bush left out key facts: Students' grades are worth up to 80 points. The quality of schools and of the courses that students take can earn 18 points. This keeps academics at the core of Michigan's admissions.
Money matters more than Bush said. Many families buy top spots in admissions pools. They live in richer school districts, send children to private schools, hire tutors, or pay for pricey test prep programs. Given the national distribution of wealth, a racial advantage does exist. It favors white students. Race matters. Bush argued that giving students points for being minority does not reflect ''any academic achievement or life experience.'' In fact, being a minority is a life experience that can include not only the legacy of discrimination but hundreds of present-day slights, and worse.
The problem is too few minority students on American campuses. Subjectivity also matters. If all applicants were white, it would still be tough to get into competitive colleges. These schools would still reject top-scoring students because admissions officers look at a range of factors - weighing the Alaskan violinist against the Chicago honor student. Some college officials speak of building a class, a group whose chemistry will produce a lively experience.
Higher education can and should be a tool of social mobility, something Michigan's policy tries to do. Colleges have long offered students of all kinds a leg up, in part because they hope to open the top ranks of society. This proud work should continue.
This story ran on page A18 of the Boston Globe on 1/17/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
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