Texan Mosaic

Admission focused on race allows diversity in colleges

by NICOLE TRUGILLO/Editor-in-Chief

We will never get away from race.

Whether it’s racial slurs, being a racist, or anything to do with the color of our skin, it will always be a debatable topic.

But now it seems that colleges are being accused of being racist because of raced-based admission practices.

Abigail Fisher asked the Supreme Court to review her case against the University of Texas at Austin for race-based admission on Oct. 10, 2012. The case was reargued on Dec. 9, 2015.

I later did research on the topic, and it turns out that Fisher didn’t get into the University of Texas because her SAT scores were too low, not because she was white.

But some people still question if admission to colleges is race-based, and if admission based on race is necessary.

The question is simple, and it can be explained. I believe that every college has some sort of agenda, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, many colleges welcome other ethnic groups to make up a certain population of the campus.

I know for a fact that South Plains College receives a grant for the enrollment of a certain percentage of Hispanics, and that’s not a bad thing. But, yes, I do believe some colleges use other ethnic groups for their personal gain.

Many can argue that a college can reject someone based on ethnicity. But does anyone have proof that they do? I know many Americans aren’t stupid, and they know that colleges do use ethnicity for their gain. They don’t make you fill out the section that says, “Choose your ethnicity” because they’re bored. They make you fill it out so that way they can see how many Caucasians, Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, among others, have enrolled on their campus. It benefits them. So what if they prefer another race?

Colleges aren’t discriminating against another race. They just benefit one over the other. They get funding for a certain population that enrolls in the college. I know that it sounds like it’s being racial. But, it’s the truth. Different colleges prefer different races, and it’s for their benefit.

Some colleges don’t try to have a preference; it just happens. I’ve read that African Americans and Hispanics, since they are more likely to come from lower income families, have a better chance of getting into some colleges than white Americans. I speak from experience (even though I’m half Hispanic).

We say that America is all about diversity. So what’s wrong with colleges selecting a certain number of students of different races?

I personally wouldn’t want to go to a one-race college. That would be boring, and I would get bored really fast. College is supposed to be where you meet new people and make new friends. I think that race-based admission can be a good thing, if it’s done for all the right reasons. Colleges would be diverse, and they should have students of different races attending their campuses.

What if it turned out that there were only a select few who could get into a college, and all of them were white? What if a white person had better scores than the Hispanic or the African American? Who would they choose? The white person with the higher score, or the Hispanic or African American who didn’t?

If they chose the white person, it would look like it was a race issue. But, if they choose the Hispanic or African American, it would seem that they only chose them so they wouldn’t look racist. Either way, some people will still see the flaw in their choice.

The point I’m trying to get across is I would prefer a race that has a low percentage on the college campus. It would help out the college and the race as well.

I’m not a racist, and I’m sure other college campuses aren’t either. But there is nothing wrong with showing diversity.

Alleged racism in colleges keeping students from being accepted

by MATT MOLINAR/Opinion Editor

Racism has become a growing concern, but now it’s keeping students from being admitted into college

In 2008, Abigail Fisher, like many students, had her heart set on a university she really wanted to attend. However, because of affirmative action, a policy all institutions of higher education must follow regarding the admission of students in order to provide equal opportunity for minorities, Fisher was not accepted into the university. She claims she was not accepted because she is white.

Many say that the case was just that her grades weren’t good enough, or she just hadn’t made herself a good candidate for enrollment. However, that is hardly the case.

Fisher may not have graduated in the top 10 percent in her class, but she claims that students in her class who are of different races other than hers were admitted into the University of Texas with the same test scores and grades as her.

Fisher has since decided to pursue a lawsuit against the university in an attempt to discontinue affirmative action quotas.

Personally, I believe that affirmative action is almost completely useless at this point. While I do believe that there is institutionalized racism all across the United States, I’m sure hardly any college or university is paying any attention to the applicant’s race.

In Fisher v. University of Texas, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg said that universities look at race as one element in the admission process. If that were the case, students who Fisher claims performed at the same level or lower than her would not be enrolled into the university.

Should Fisher win the case against the university, affirmative action, a law that has been standing since the 1960’s, will be discarded. Many people fear that this will lead to racism within educational institutions. But have you ever even thought about affirmative action? Do you ever sit in class and wonder “why are there not more minorities in this class?” You don’t. That’s because nobody is paying attention to race anymore as far as college admission goes.

Our country is so diverse with different races that it has become completely equal. You can throw a nickel into our library and it’s bound to land in front of someone who is a minority. I agree that racism within higher education used to be a very real thing, but you cannot say it still exists.

I highly doubt the Supreme Court of the United States would pass anything banning affirmative action. I can completely understand why. Racism is still a very real thing, and people are still being discriminated against. But this shouldn’t be the reason someone who isn’t a minority isn’t being accepted into his or her school of choice. Admission should be completely based on performance, not the color of your skin.