Even though Harvard won the first round in its battle with Students for Fair Admissions, a case challenging the university’s affirmative action policy, the judge did not address the deep … Continue reading “Testing Affirmative Action”
In a long-awaited decision, federal trial judge Allison Burroughs has ruled that, while Harvard does consider a student’s race in determining who gets in and who doesn’t (“the use of race … Continue reading “Round One—Harvard Beats Asian Americans”
In 2016, the University of Texas won the case over its use of racial preferences (Fisher v. Texas), but the Supreme Court did not rule that all racial preference plans … Continue reading “The Latest Affirmative Action Suit May Succeed Where Others Failed”
James Gates Jr. is a theoretical physicist renowned for his work with supersymmetry, supergravity, and string theory. The University of Maryland professor says he prefers to shun publicity, but his … Continue reading “Citing Genetics and Power of Rock Music, Physicist Says Diversity Crossbreeds Excellence”
Like all public universities, the University of Texas has a governing body that is supposed to oversee its management—the Board of Regents. Trouble can arise when a member of such … Continue reading “When a University Regent Tries to Blow the Whistle: The Wallace Hall Case”
Affirmative action is before the Supreme Court again this week, as it rehears arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas. Perhaps the most important question about racial preferences is one that’s not directly raised by the case: do they even work? Do they help underrepresented minorities to achieve their goals, and foster interracial interaction and understanding on elite campuses? Or do large preferences often “mismatch” students in campuses where they will struggle and fail?
Another awful affirmative action ruling could send the issue back to the Supreme Court.