Affirmative action has long been controversial. Proponents say it’s a way to address historical discrimination. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in two cases to strike down race as a factor in admissions processes.
The decision's impact will be tough to measure in nine states, including Arizona, that already bar public universities from considering race in admissions.
Since 2010, Arizona hasn’t allowed public universities to consider race. But private universities were still able to, to an extent.
Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller said it has never considered race in admissions.
“There are ways to create diversity on college campuses and especially diversity as it impacts historically disadvantaged populations,” Mueller said. “I think there's a way to do it without special admissions criteria or quotas.”
University of Arizona law professor Christopher Griffin said any overt race-conscious policies will be eliminated first.
“It’s hard to know what now complies with the Supreme Court’s decision that also is showing a dedication to a diverse student body,” Griffin said.
Many Arizona universities — public and private — made statements saying their admissions policies will not change.
Mueller encouraged building a diverse student body in other ways like keeping tuition down, and reaching out to high school students.
In a statement, GCU said that because it “resides in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood,” opportunities like scholarships can reach more students of color “simply because that reflects the demographics of the neighborhood.”
Increased outreach, especially to underfunded high schools, is one way Griffin said colleges can increase student body diversity.
“The Court's decision [this week] is calling for color blindness,” Griffin said. “Opponents of that theory, especially the three dissenting justices, think there is no way still, in 2023, to be blind to people's race and ethnicity because we are still living with the centuries long effects of that oppression and exclusion.”
Advocates say the ruling may hurt admission numbers for underrepresented groups in the fall. Many disparities, Griffin said, show up for students before they even apply.
“We have diversity and variation in funding between our standard public and our charter schools and our private schools,” Griffin said. “All of these [factors] create disparities that, yes, affirmative action policies were in part designed to remedy. But we are still going to live with those issues.”
