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Thursday, July 21, 2011
Affirmative Action Ban in College Admissions Overturned
A Federal District court last week overturned Michigan's 2006 ban on affirmative action in college admissions and government hiring policies. The ban, which had become part of the state constitution via a voter initiative, prevented all public institutions from allowing preferential treatment to candidates based on race, gender and ethnicity. The court determined that the ban "impermissibly burden[ed]" racial minorities.

Like most court decisions, the change in law, however dramatic, may take some time to implement-if it is done at all. Michigan's public universities would have to review and take into consideration the effects on college admissions created by the overturning of the law.

Affirmative action is a hot-button political issue, and the decision has drawn vociferous criticism from opponents, who argue that all hiring and college admissions policies should be based entirely on merit. Proponents of preferential treatment for so-called minority groups claim that it is essential in order to maintain diversity and to ensure that those with fewer privileges are allowed de facto equal access to opportunity.

Similar bans still exist in several other states, including California. Given the relative confidentiality and subjective nature of college admissions, it is difficult to determine just how such bans (or the absence of them) affect the demographics of the student body. Whatever your political position on the issue, the developing nature of affirmative action legislation and its affect on college admissions, is something worth watching.

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