On June 29, the Supreme Court delivered a 6-3 ruling that essentially prevents colleges from using affirmative action and race-based quotas in the college admissions acceptance process.
As Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “The race-based admissions systems … fail to comply with the twin commands of the Equal Protection Clause that race may never be used as a ‘negative’ and that it may not operate as a stereotype.” Roberts added, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”
So, how should institutions of higher learning proceed in light of the ruling that effectively bans using one’s race as a factor in the admissions process?
For starters, colleges and universities should return to the primary system they relied upon before affirmative action became a feature in the admissions process. By this, I mean that they should rely on merit, principally one’s grades and test scores, to determine if they meet the demands of the university or college to which they seek admission.
Historically, the college admissions process used objective criteria, such as one’s grade-point average, class rank or SAT score, to determine if students met the eligibility standards for entrance. However, in recent years, as the court documented, colleges and universities have relied less on impartial metrics as they seek to broaden the diversity of their student bodies.