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Supreme court tackles affirmative action

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    Prof. Brian Fitzpatrick says colleges may have to overhaul a long-standing policy

  • Duration 4:10
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Professor Brian Fitzpatrick from Vanderbilt University.

And he wants to talk with -- hopefully about how colleges may soon have to overhaul a long standing policy.

Having to do with affirmative action first -- -- professor thanks for being here this morning.

It's my pleasure thank you for having me you know or put this up on the screen but I just want to invite everybody to first know exactly where we stand with affirmative action on college campuses today so bring us up to speed on the current policy and then we'll talk about where we might be going.

-- so really since the 1970s.

Selective colleges and universities have been using race as one factor in deciding who should be admitted.

And in 2003 it was always controversial.

And a lot of lawsuits were filed about it and in 2003.

The US Supreme Court in some cases involving the University of Michigan.

Held its okay.

For universities to use racial preferences in admissions for the purpose of achieving the educational benefits of diversity and so nowadays.

Pretty much any selective public or private university is using race in order to try to bring more diversity to their campus.

You know I can give some people -- -- -- -- where others across the nation stand just just plain voted folk.

Charles -- -- on the live chat race color religion gender sexual orientation or national origin should not matter when entering college -- the majority of Americans.

I don't get any special perks -- neither should it minorities.

So where are we going now -- we're looking at a change possibly an affirmative action on college campuses.

Yes so -- actually write these even though these policies pervade universities they've always been very unpopular with the American people.

And any time.

It's put to a vote.

Racial preferences and affirmative action loses in California there was a ballot initiative there.

It's abandoned the universities in California.

From using race a factor in Michigan Athens 2003.

Supreme Court case.

The people of Michigan actually passed an initiative to ban.

The University of Michigan from using race so.

The American people don't like these things now that the big development is.

A couple days ago the US Supreme Court decided that it's gonna take a case.

And in the fall.

That where they've been asked to reconsider the 2003.

Decision and so they may decide to overturn that decision and prohibit.

Universities from using race and it's it's cool it's possible that if they do.

Reconsider that decision -- overrule it because there's been an important change.

In personnel on the court the 2003 case was five before.

And justice O'Connor joined the liberal justices in the majority.

Justice O'Connor has been replaced by -- Ito.

And he's much more conservative and so there's a good there's there's a decent chance to -- overrule it and decide colleges can no longer use race.

So what are overhaul look like I mean if you -- kind of replicate across the country what what what people kind of -- and how do you think that would change things.

-- so there's been studies done -- great book and it was written maybe 1015 years ago called.

The shape of the river it was written by the presidents of Harvard and Princeton universities and they did a study -- try to estimate.

What would happen to diversity if we got rid of racial preferences and they concluded that -- selected schools.

The number of minorities on campus would drop by two thirds.

-- so it would.

It would have been an impact on my way loosen up -- right there are you telling me that.

Without affirmative action and quotas in place.

It would stop the ability for people to get -- -- campus are on the campus are you telling me that people wouldn't even try again because that doesn't make -- reasons.

Minnesota is gonna vote for something they don't even yet know what numbers are until they get through the -- That's.

That's right but the reality is is that African American and Hispanic students.

I do much worse than white and Asian students on the SATs and their high school GPAs -- worse and so if you just look at academic.

Criteria.

You're gonna end up with a lot less diversity.

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