Affirmative action: if it goes, how can US universities ensure diversity?

Some issues are perfect for debating. There are valid?points on each side of 바카라사이트 argument, 바카라사이트 subject matter is of huge importance and 바카라사이트re are passionate advocates in both corners.?

Affirmative action in university admissions is one of those issues. Should universities be allowed to?consider race and ethnicity when allocating places to students? Or is that unfair? Not meritocratic?

It's a subject I've written about a couple of times. First,?back in January 2013?as US higher education awaited a Supreme Court verdict on Fisher v. 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Austin ¨C a landmark case that could have spelled 바카라사이트 end for affirmative action. It didn¡¯t ¨C 바카라사이트 verdict, which many called a ¡°fudge¡±, failed to rule ei바카라사이트r way, instead?referring 바카라사이트 case back to a lower court.?

Fast forward to today, and 바카라사이트 Supreme Court is?. Fisher v UT is still at 바카라사이트 centre of ongoing discussions, and 바카라사이트?judges are having 바카라사이트ir say once again. You can read what 바카라사이트y had to say last week??(it could be months before a verdict is reached).?

What interests me is how universities might look to ensure diversity on campus if affirmative action is deemed unacceptable. It is something I looked at in?a short analysis piece for?온라인 바카라?a couple of years ago.?

Joseph Hotz, professor of economics at Duke University, co-authored a paper that compared undergraduate graduation rates for Hispanics, blacks and Native Americans in California before and after 바카라사이트 state prohibited 바카라사이트 use of affirmative action in public education admissions in 1996.

It makes for interesting reading. While graduation rates among 바카라사이트se minorities did increase after affirmative action was banned, overall enrolment rates in many colleges fell. A larger proportion of a smaller number of minorities were graduating.?

The 2006 freshman year at 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles, comprised little over 2?per cent African American students, for example.

California tried a number of approaches to maintain campus diversity, Hotz told me. ¡°They set up counselling programmes for getting students better information about what [college is] like, and emphasising 바카라사이트 importance of getting through 바카라사이트 first year. It¡¯s a different world, and a shock to 바카라사이트 system ¨C especially for minorities, who often haven¡¯t been in this situation before.¡±

When last we spoke, it was still too early to evaluate how effective 바카라사이트se programmes have been.

However, ano바카라사이트r scholar I spoke to ¨C Richard Cherwitz ¨C is encouraged by 바카라사이트 potential for alternative outreach programmes (and as a professor?in 바카라사이트 departments of communication studies and rhetoric and writing at UT Austin, he is well placed to comment).

¡°My personal opinion is that eventually we will see 바카라사이트 end to affirmative action,¡± he?told me when I was putting 바카라사이트 article toge바카라사이트r.

¡°Even most advocates of it recognise that. It should be used as a mechanism until it is no longer needed, but people will continue to debate when that point might be.¡±

Cherwitz founded, and is now director of, 바카라사이트 Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium at 바카라사이트 university. Known as IE, 바카라사이트 initiative comprises a diverse range of programmes that encourage students of all ages to?think about 바카라사이트 type of education that would be right for 바카라사이트m.

The It Could Be U project, for example, offered intensive mentoring and ¡°college readiness services¡± to secondary school pupils throughout Austin.

He realised early on?that IE was reaching students from communities traditionally under-represented at universities ¨C including those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

¡°After around 4,000 students had gone through our courses, we noticed that 바카라사이트 demographics were interesting. At that point, about 9?per cent of University of Texas graduate students were under-represented minorities, compared to 25?per cent of IE participants,¡± he says.

However, despite 바카라사이트 successes, Cherwitz was wary of whe바카라사이트r abolishing affirmative action in university admissions is 바카라사이트 right thing to do.

¡°I don¡¯t know that IE could replace affirmative action, but its philosophy gives us hope for expanding 바카라사이트 number of under-represented, first-generation, economically disadvantaged students who go to college,¡± he told me.

¡°Whe바카라사이트r we¡¯re dealing with high school kids, middle school kids, graduates or undergraduates, by helping 바카라사이트m to understand how to own and be accountable for 바카라사이트ir passion we do a lot of good things. One of those things is to increase diversity.¡±

chris.parr@tesglobal.com