North Carolina Trustees Say Race Can’t Be Considered in Hiring or Admissions
The North Carolina resolution was especially significant because that university was at the center, along with Harvard, of the challenge to affirmative action at the Supreme Court. North Carolina trustees said in their resolution this week that the university could not “unlawfully discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment” to, people based on their race or other protected status.
“I think the punchline of this resolution is that to end discrimination, we have to end discrimination,” Trustee Marty Kotis said. “And that’s what we’re seeking to do. That’s what the court had ruled.”
But the approval was not unanimous. Trustee Ralph Meekins Sr. told his colleagues that he believed the action was too hasty and could lead to legal risk for the university. He said that “this resolution goes well beyond the Supreme Court ruling, and if you talk to any lawyer, they’ll tell you the same.”
Many universities have long considered race as one factor among many in deciding which students to admit. Defenders of the practice argue that colleges benefit from having students with more varied life experiences, and that using affirmative action allows students from historically disadvantaged groups, including Black, Hispanic and Native American people, a fairer chance to attend prestigious schools.
But opponents of affirmative action have repeatedly challenged the concept in court, describing it as unfair to white and Asian applicants and in conflict with the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court’s six conservative justices agreed in their ruling last month.
Source: The New York Times
