Grinnell College Files Brief in Affirmative Action Case in Supreme Court

There are currently several dozen liberal arts schools weighing in on a U.S. Supreme Court case that is centered on the concept of affirmative action. Grinnell College is one such school that believes that the ability to consider race and ethnicity during the admissions process is vital. The case is focusing on the policies at the University of Texas and could possibly ban the ability to take race and ethnicity into account. While many businesses and schools have taken part in the debate over whether affirmative action actually works, liberal arts schools seem to think it affects them in a big way.

Allowing for Diversity in Education

The schools involved in the case are arguing that they should retain the ability to decide whether a potential student is allowed to attend the school based on their race and ethnicity as well as other factors. It has been said that a diverse student body is critical to creating an environment where the liberal arts education process can be effective. On the other side of the coin it is also one of the few ways that colleges such as Grinnell can attract more minorities to their courses. It was noted that a large percentage of Latino and African American youths are coming from education facilities that are not preparing them properly for colleges with high standards such as Grinnell. This would normally put these minorities at a disadvantage before the selection process had even properly begun.

The Supreme Court Opens the Floor to Arguments

The U.S. Supreme Court heard a selection of oral arguments on Wednesday though they are still to make a final decision on the case. One factor that seems to keep making an appearance is that making an admission selection based on economic standards might lead to a completely flawed system. This would be mainly due to the fact that the majority of the poorer classes in the United States are actually white. While affirmative action will probably be debated for years to come, it seems that when it comes to university and college admissions we will soon have a definitive answer.