Friday, May 4,2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 7
CREATING DIVERSITY
Continued from page 1A
the only determining factors in admissions. One reason for that is that minorities of scoring lower than White students on the LSAT exam, Reitz said.
"If there's a minority student who applies, that is a huge bonus in terms of what they can add to the classroom," she said.
Adverse family or financial backgrounds are often a reason for lower
scores, but conquering those disadvantages can also make minority students more attractive law school applicants. Reitz said that people who had to grow up dealing with poverty or tough, urban sur-
oundings brought an understanding of their different world to the law school.
Reitz is determined that diversity continue not as an optional but a vital characteristic of the law school. Her vision is a learning environment where students have "the comfort zone challenged" and where they will "have to understand anyone's perspective."
Alex Harris does not contest the value of diversity. However, as a White applicant on the KU law school waiting list, she expressed concern about an admissions policy that could put minorities ahead of her when she had better grades and test scores.
"I think that diversity is essential, but not to the detriment of other applicants," said Harris, who finished her undergraduate degree at the University in December. "Everybody should have an equal chance despite what their background is," she said. "If you make it race-conscious, then you're putting a lot of people at a disadvantage."
For Harris, equal opportunity is paramount. She said she strongly believed applicants should be strictly
judged on the basis of the
"If somebody was admitted based not on qualifications, but rather on race, that is basically negating the point of working hard for your qualifications."
judged on the basis of the qualifications they worked to achieve.
"If somebody was admitted based not on qualifications, but rather on race, that is basically negating the point of working hard for your qualifications," she said.
Reitz carefully clarified that, even though diversity was a plus for a candidate, different standards were not used for admission of Whites as opposed to minority applicants.
in successful lawsuits against a number of U.S. universities.
IT'S THE LAW
Reitz's concerns are well founded. Race-conscious admissions have resulted
"To make a statement like we compare numbers differently for minority and nonminority students would be exposing our organization to liability," she said, reflecting the concerns of schools who fear reverse discrimination lawsuits.
In the last decade, colleges around the nation have suffered reverse discrimination lawsuits resulting in courts and governmental bodies banning the use of race in college admissions. The most recent blow against affirmative action was in March when a federal district judge in the 6th circuit ruled that the race-conscious
Alex Harris KU Law applicant
admissions policy of the University of Michigan was unconstitutional
Before that, voter referrends in California and Washington also barred the
AFRICAN AMERICAN
use of race in college admissions. A district court decided the same thing for Texas in 1996, after a White student who was not admitted to the University of Texas law school filed a reverse discrimination suit.
But Reginald Robinson, associate professor of law and counsel to KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway, explained that there was no nationwide bar against affirmative action. The Supreme Court's latest ruling on the issue established that quotas were unconstitutional, but diversity was a compelling enough interest for colleges to use race as one factor in admissions. The ruling came in 1978, when a White male rejected applicant sued the University of California at Davis medical school, claiming reverse discrimination.
Robinson said that there was no case law in the 10th circuit, which included Kansas, inconsistent with the Bakke decision.
"A university in the 10th circuit can use Bakke and argue that they can use race in admissions." Robinson said.
However, the rulings in Michigan and Texas suggest that reverse discrimination suits could ultimately overturn the Bakke standards, he said. Robinson explained that a White applicant claiming discrimination because of their race could argue it violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of race. In such a case, he said, a college's use of race would have to undergo a "two-part strict scrutiny test," first attempting to prove that diversity is a compelling university interest and then that race-conscious admissions were the only way to assemble a diverse student body.
it is around the same level as the percentage of KU undergraduates.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
"I wish we had more minority applicants to the school," he said.
Parker Lessig, admissions officer for the school of business, is not satisfied with his school's minority percentage, although
KU
The school of business guarantees admission to students with a 3.0 GPA in specific business courses. However, Lessig said, the school also allows a small percentage of positions available, about 10 percent, for what he called "extenuating circumstances."
2. 6 percent
STATE OF KANSAS
Lessig said extenuating circumstances could be an adverse background or a tragic incident that could have affected a student's academic performance. He said that race in itself was not an extenuating circumstance, but it could sometimes tie in with a student's disadvantaged background.
He said race would not cause a student to be viewed more favorably as a candidate.
SAME IS NOT EQUAL
"If it came down to a minority student and a White student who were comparable, rather than admitting one of them, I would admit them both," he said.
In such a case, space constraints would not be an issue.
5. 7 percent
680
Renate Mai-Dalton, associate professor of business, shares Lessig's goal. However, she said, "The same treatment is not equal treatment."
154,198
"I would squeeze," he said.
"Affirmative action is necessary in this country because we have not gone far enough yet to not see color and ethnic differences," said Mai-Dalton, who founded a tutoring and mentoring program in the school of business that recruits freshman and transfer students with African American, Hispanic and Native American backgrounds.
Mai-Dalton said her goal was to prepare students to enter the school of business in terms of "emotional maturity" and to make students of color feel
"It's not a remedial program," she said. "This is not a program for students that would otherwise fail."
welcome.
"We are a predominantly
White institution," she said. "When the students come here—particularly students who come from African-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American communities — for them it's like being in a foreign country," Mai-Dalton said. "There is not the same need for White students, because they're not in a strange environment as much as these students." She said increasing diversity worked in the favor of the White majority'as well.
"This isn't a one way street," she
said, "The demographics in this country have changed during the last 10 or 20 years, and graduates of this University will be working in diverse corporations. If our students do not understand what it means, they will not be effective."
Florence Boldridge and her colleagues in the KU School of Engineering maintain that the very competitive nature of the program requires that the school sets clear-cut admissions standards.
NO EXCEPTIONS
"You either have what it takes on you're not with us," said Boldridge, director of diversity programs for the school. "It's far too strenuous an area to have students failing."
Thomas Mulinazzi, associate dean of engineering, agreed.
"Wedn't look at race," Mulinazziisaid. "If by some chance an unqualified person gets in and we pass them because of their sex, their color, their religion, they can't perform in a real world. Do you want to fly in an airplane designed by an incompetent engineer?"
Mulinazi said that if minority applicants were qualified but lacked the finances, the school would make sure that they could afford to attend.
However, both said the engineering school pushed for more diversity by providing financial incentives rather than lowering standards.
To promote diversity, the school of engineering has lowered the GPA required for minority scholarships. Regular school of engineering scholarships require a 3.2 GPA, but minority scholarships require only a 2.75, Mulinañzi said.
"Some of those kids need the money really bad," he said.
PLANNING AHEAD
Another way to help minority applicants succeed alongside their White peers is not by lowering standards but by providing catch-up training to prepare them for the rigors of higher education.
Sandra McCurdy, assis-
unt itself, said the School of Medicine did not use race as an admissions factor and that the only people given priority over other applicants were Kansas residents.
However, she said the school promoted two federally funded programs, designed to bring minority undergraduates up to speed for studying medicine.
McCurdy said the school had a minority population of about 12 percent, and she was satisfied with that number.
"The percentage is about what the
KU
2. 3 percent
STATE OF KANSAS
state's percentage of minority population is," she said.
7. 0 percent
608
188,252
QUALIFIED ADMISSIONS
Undergraduate KU admissions also feature a 10 percent "window" for applicants who do not meet minimal requirements. Cervery said.
beginning this year, the university is establishing specific standards for admissions. Until now, high school graduates from Kansas were automatically accepted and out-of-state applicants had to have a specific GPA.
Now,however,specific requirements
include a GPA,
mum GPA, a minimum ACT
score or completion of a certain
high school curriculum.
He said exceptions in that 10 percent would be made on a case
"The goal is for the numbers of the University of Kansas to reflect the numbers for the State of Kansas, and we're falling way short of that,"
by case basis, depending on the individual circumstances of each student.
"We do want to create a diverse student body, so diversity would be a factor to look at." he said.
He said diversity could be one factor in determining who would be admitted under that window.
He clarified that any student who did not display adequate potential for success at the University would not be admitted.
Courtney Bates BSU president
A diverse student body is a goal yet to be reached on KU's campus.
"KU must prepare student for the diverse society they will become part of," said Chancellor Robert Hemenway. "We must do better."
SEEKING DIVERSITY
"If you have two people who are going to run a race and person one has been coached by the best his entire life, he's had every opportunity for advancement, and person two has been sitting at home, has been watching television and eating junk food, and you put them in a race together, who's going to win?"
Hemenway said administrators were planning to work with Student Senate to form a Minority Commission. He said the commission would aim at increasing recruitment and retention of minority faculty and students and creating a "hospital campus for people
of color and diverse cultures"
Hemenway said he viewed minority recruitment as a form of affirmative action. "Affirmative action is an affirmative effort to make the University more representative of the society as a whole," he said. "Minority recruitment is simply one way to achieve such a goal."
She said affirmative action was not about quotas or applying lower admission standards but about helping people with disadvantaged backgrounds.
courtney Bates, president of the Black Student Union, said she was not satisfied with the minority percentage of the University.
"The goal is for the numbers of the University of Kansas to reflect the numbers for the state of Kansas, and we're falling way short of that," said Bates, Chicago sophomore.
KANSAS
KU
0. 9 percent
0. 9 percent
225
Source: Board of Regents Demographic Report and U.S. Census Bureau
"In my opinion affirmative action is about bringing person two up to speed with person one. It's more about helping them to get to that same level, although I know it's defined as lowering admission
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Most students and administrators agree that increasing diversity is a primary goal in the University, not just to help those minorities with underprivileged backgrounds, but also to expose the White majority to the same demographics and cultural variety as their future workplace.
"Our students need to be educated for the world out there, not for Lawrence, Kan," Mai-Dalton said.
However, many of those "risks", such as Lane, succeed.
Although most KU admissions officers say race is something they look at when evaluating a candidate, almost all also say that admitting a candidate who does not fulfill formal requirements is taking a risk for potential failure.
Lane took advantage of her opportunity. Today, she is doing well academically and is a leader in KU's Black community as president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a traditionally African-American sorority.
Looking back, she says it took her
says writing was her area that needed the most improvement but that interaction with students more advanced than her and extra study time helped her reach the academic level of her peers by the end of her freshman year.
Reflecting on her high school environment, she said people with backgrounds like hers who applied to a university were already showing potential for success.
"The college application is not just put your name and sign it, it's a process to fill it out," she said. "Anybody who is willing to go through that should be given a chance."
— Edited by Courtney Craigmile
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