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What is the Deal? Do you need to buy a birthday, anniversary or holiday gift? Visit the Galleria! January 19, 2003 What is the deal with the University of Michigan? By Jan A. Larson A case challenging the University of Michigan’s admissions policy reached the United States Supreme Court last week. The policy gave non-Asian minority applicants 20 points toward a maximum 150-point set of criteria (most achieving around 100 points are admitted) solely based on their race. To put this in perspective, a perfect SAT score was worth 12 points. The President issued a statement denouncing the policy and suggesting that campus diversity could be achieve through other, race-neutral means. National Security Advisor, Condolezza Rice, however maintained that race should continue to be a factor in admissions, reflecting on a 1978 U. S. Supreme Court ruling that declared quotas unconstitutional but left room for race to be one of many considerations in college admissions. There is virtually no chance that the Supreme Court will uphold this policy. The university’s goal, of course, was to achieve a racially diverse student body. However laudable this goal may be, and there is a question whether a racially diverse student body really accomplishes much in improving the educational experience, attempting to achieve the goal through preferences is patently unfair and is an attempt to manipulate outcomes instead of opportunities. It may be argued that by lowering the bar on admissions to achieve diversity is depriving all of the students of the opportunity to compete against the best of the best. Is it likely that one can learn more about physics, mathematics or English literature in a classroom with more minority students or one with more outstanding students? The fact that the percentage of non-Asian minorities that achieve admission status without considering race is less than the percentage of those minorities in the general population is a symptom of a much deeper problem, a problem that began 18 or 20 years earlier when the applicants were born. It is widely accepted that minorities have the same capabilities for learning, thought and achievement as anyone else. The problem that fewer of them reach the doors of the University of Michigan or any other university less prepared to meet the standards of admission starts with the fact that 70% of African American children born in this country are born out of wedlock. Many are born to un- or undereducated women (girls) who themselves may be living with a similarly un- or undereducated single parent. The emphasis in many such households is not necessarily on education, but on surviving until the next day. Unfortunately, many of the so-called “leaders” in the African-American community in this country never address this problem that perpetuates itself generation after generation in a cycle of poverty. It is time that the minority communities in this country recognize that the cycle of out of wedlock births and the scarcity of the stable family unit as the source of virtually all of the ills that ultimately befall them. Minority leaders need to change the mindset in minority communities from that of having children as the source of fulfillment in one’s life to getting an education, getting married and then having children. This will lead not only to greater personal fulfillment, but also to elevating the lot of the entire community. In that way, racial diversity may be achieved at college campuses across the country without having to consider the color of the applicant’s skin. It is a long and difficult road to travel, but unless the cycle is broken, many in the minority communities are doomed to always fall short. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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