WATCH: The future of affirmative action on college campuses
With a case before the Supreme Court, Alexa Schwerha speaks with Cedarville University Professor Mark Caleb Smith about the fate of affirmative action in higher education.
Campus Reform Reporter Alexa Schwerha speaks with Cedarville University professor and Director of the Center for Political Science Mark Caleb Smith about the fate of affirmative action in higher education.
On Jan. 24, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear joint challenges against the admission processes at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The challenges, delivered by Student for Fair Admissions, argue that the institutions unfairly discriminate against students by using race as a factor in admissions.
”The argument is Harvard is discriminating against Asian Americans, in particular, who are arguing they’re being admitted at a much lower rate than white [who] are similarly qualified,” Smith explains.
The challenge will be unique as it considers the role of affirmative action at both public and private institutions.
”North Carolina is covered by the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment in a way that Harvard is not, so it’ll make for an interesting wrinkle,” Smith says. “The courts combine these two cases in oral argument, there’s a good chance they’ll combine them when they write their actual opinion.”
Watch the video above to hear Smith’s take on affirmative action and the Supreme Court.
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