Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action: What are LHS Students Thinking?
THIS ARTICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED WITH RESPONSES FROM THIS GOOGLE FORM. If you feel strongly about affirmative action and are a student at LHS, please share your perspective.
On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina in a 6 to 3 vote. This decision will require colleges and universities across the nation to rethink their admissions processes. We asked LHS students to share their opinions about the ruling in an anonymous google form. Here’s what they said:
'“I’m glad it’s being struck down. Merit based admissions maximize the reputation of a college, which is many of the Ivy League goals (to admit kids who are most likely to succeed) I find it stupid how people think we are going backwards when it’s clear that basing someone’s life off of race clearly doesn’t demonstrate their ability and merit.”
“I agree with the decision because I think this would force colleges to look at income more than race. While income based affirmative action would still result in a diversity boost as opposed to no affirmative action of any sort, I think it would be a much more fair approach as class often affects opportunity more than race.”
“It’s bad and constitutive of a broader reversal of the legacy of the civil rights movement that has been in motion since as early as the 1970s.”
“It's total bullshit--it's ridiculous to claim that the consistent repression and persecution of a group of people for centuries is equivalent to a few white people getting their feelings hurt. The fact that certain POC were given acceptance priority at some schools does not begin to make up for the hundreds of thousands before them who were denied even the potential to attend those institutions. However, it was a start. The Supreme Court continues to raze any inch of progress made toward basic human rights in the US. It's a typical response from those in power: as soon as there's a slight shift toward justice and reason, they'll throw a fit because it upsets the comfortable, privileged position in which they reside.“
“Although I understand the benefits of affirmative action, I think the people who agree with the dissenting opinion need to acknowledge how the system of affirmative action negatively affects Asian Americans. (I am an Asian American). To get into schools like Harvard under affirmative action, Asian Americans have go above and beyond the standard set for a white applicant in order to have a chance at admission. As for Black and Hispanic applicants who get in through affirmative action, the bar for entry is significantly lower than for white and Asian applicants. I do acknowledge that it is important to give disadvantaged students a chance, but there are three other points that people seem to be failing to think about:
Most of the African American students at schools like Harvard are from upper middle class families, not from the lower income and opportunity population that this system is claiming to help.
When you pull people out of a disadvantaged upbringing, they often haven’t had the opportunity to build up the skills that will make them successful at the top university level.
Those students who get into universities through affirmative action often struggle with not fitting in and it can have an affect on their mental health and, through that, their ability to perform well academically.
For a solution I think it is good to look to the military for inspiration. No matter your race or economic status, you have to pass the same tests to get in. The military, however, provides training to those who need it in order to reach a level in which they can pass those exams. We as a society need to do more to provide opportunities earlier in life for the disenfranchised populations so that when they reach the college admissions process or when they are looking for jobs, they are not at such a disadvantage.”
“Another one of the most backwards decisions the Supreme Court has taken. Another bit of racial equality which people of color had been granted has been taken away from them again.”
“This was a good decision.”
“I disapprove of the ruling. I think affirmative action is critical to reducing the barrier many systematically oppressed communities have to higher education and socioeconomic equality. Affirmative action alone is not the perfect remedy to providing equity, however, combined with programs that provide educational and economical resources to underprivileged communities, it will help to bridge racial gaps. The thought that college admissions should be a pure meritocracy is ludicrous when taking into the account the historic and ongoing discrimination against specific communities of color. Not only does affirmative action provide more opportunities to higher education for Black and Latino/a/x people, but it also provides a clearer and fairer picture for admissions officers when reviewing an applicants background and the resources available to them. I do not understand the justification of this ruling when legacy admissions favors rich white applicants with generational wealth.”
”I disagree with it. Race-blind legislation does not acknowledge the inherent racial inequalities within our society. Just because the law doesn’t see race doesn’t mean society doesn’t.”
If you see an opinion on our site that you strongly disagree with, we invite you to share your side of the story, but please be respectful. The responses shared above do not reflect the views of Lexspects as a publication.