Should race be considered for college admissions?

Yes

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by Robyn Keyster

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Long considered the land of opportunity, the United States has nonetheless historically denied certain groups the opportunity to obtain an education. African-Americans, women, Jews, Native Americans, and a host of other ethnic, racial, and religious groups have, in the past, found themselves effectively shut out of real educational opportunity.

As a result, during the latter half of the twentieth century, the U.S. experienced a strong push for a more inclusive higher education system. During this rapidly-changing era, race became a factor in some college and university admissions processes. Those who belonged to racial groups that had been discriminated against in the past particularly African-Americans and Hispanics received special consideration. Some schools awarded admissions bonus points for those belonging to a certain race, whereas others instituted race-based quota systems.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the notion of mentioning and/or emphasizing race in college admissions has proven quite controversial. Some argue that using race as a factor was necessary in the past, but not in the twenty-first century. Others point out how other factors, such as gender, religious affiliation, and socioeconomic background should be considered along with race. Still others decry the idea of using race at all; admissions should be based on academic merit and nothing else.

Should race be considered as a factor in college admissions? Certainly there are racial groups in the U.S. who still bear the brunt of historic discrimination. Having been brought to this country involuntarily, it's no surprise that African-Americans still lag other groups in terms of traditional achievement (education and wealth-amassment). While not enslaved per se, other racial groups have also had to fight, sometimes literally, for the rights most white Americans take for granted.

As one can see by glancing at other countries' sociological profiles, groups that have faced discrimination must work doubly hard to catch up to the group unburdened by prejudice. Considering this, race-based admissions makes sense. Opportunity has been taken from certain groups, but increased access to education might give some of it back.

Besides providing opportunity, race-based admissions also officially acknowledge past discrimination. As those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement (and other social justice-related causes) can likely attest, formal recognition is the first step towards eradication. Problems can't be solved until they are brought to light, and using race as a factor in admissions puts the issue of prejudice squarely on the national table.

One could also view the issue from a utilitarian standpoint. Does race-based admissions benefit society? In the sense that it produces a more diverse college student body, indeed it does. Moreover, it undoubtedly contributes to a more diverse set of college graduates, leading to crucial socioeconomic mobility. Democracies rarely function well without a robust middle class, and higher education is the golden ticket to social and economic ascension.

However, due to the ever-present controversy surrounding it, race as a factor in admissions is not a panacea for prejudice. Many other groups in America (poor whites, new immigrants, and women, to name just a few) have also found higher education closed-off to them at one historical point of another. For the most part, these groups haven't received the same amount of special consideration that some racial groups have.

Understandably, many incoming college freshman react bitterly to race as an admissions factor. One's race alone is not necessarily a reliable indicator of hardship faced. While the African-American from the inner-city has certainly had to work harder than the white suburban applicant, the poor white girl from the manufactured housing community has also had to work harder than the middle-class, bilingual Asian-American applicant. The Mexican immigrant in L.A. has probably had to work harder than the upper-class Cuban from Miami; the black student from the rural south has likely faced more difficulty than the black student from the Chicago suburbs.

Due to this current diversity regarding which applicants have had to struggle harder than which other applicants, race should be but one factor among many regarding college admissions. The U.S. has not yet reached the point of equality of outcome, which is why equality of opportunity is still so important. The U.S. higher education system should continue to recognize that certain racial groups face unique obstacles towards obtaining a college degree. However, the system should acknowledge that many other groups also share these obstacles. Only in this manner can the goal of inclusiveness be truly tied to educational opportunity.

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