People walk towards Sather Gate on the U.C. Berkeley campus in Berkeley. (Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images / File)
(KRON) — The University of California President issued a statement Thursday in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding the use of race in college admissions.
UC President Michael V. Drake said, “We are disappointed in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to bar the use of race in college admissions, a valuable practice that has helped higher education institutions increase diversity and address historical wrongs over the past several decades.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling will not directly impact public universities in California.
The consideration of race in admissions has been banned in California for 27 years by Proposition 209. After voters passed the proposition in 1996, the University of California and California State University adjusted their admissions practices to comply with the law.
Nearly 100 private colleges and universities in California, including Stanford University and Santa Clara University, have been free to consider race for making admissions decisions.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges.
Drake explained, “Today’s court decision bars the use of an important tool for other higher education institutions. The consideration of race was not the conclusive solution to inequities in college admissions, but it was a necessary pathway to addressing systemic deficiencies.”
President Joe Biden said he “strongly, strongly” disagrees with the court’s ruling. He urged colleges not to let the ruling “be the last word.”
University of California officials said, even without affirmative action, they will continue striving to create clearer pathways to college, address inequality in admissions, and achieve a higher education enrollment that reflects “the rich diversity of our nation.”
Drake said, “Student diversity remains a top priority for the University of California — one that we will continue to pursue with every tool available to us.” Drake said diverse student bodies on UC campuses improves “overall fairness.”
The Supreme Court’s vote was 6-3 in the North Carolina case, and 6-2 in the Harvard case.
Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “We have a Supreme Court that wants to bring us back to a pre-1960s world. Right-wing activists — including those donning robes — are trying to take us back to the era of book bans and segregated campuses. While the path to equal opportunity has now been narrowed for millions of students, no court case will ever shatter the California Dream. Our campus doors remain open for all who want to work hard.”
UC undergraduates by race and ethnicity
Fall 2022:
- 32.2% Asian
- 22.5% Hispanic/Latino
- 22.2% White
- 4.5% African American
2002 (Post Prop. 209):
- 38% Asian
- 14% Hispanic/Latino
- 36% White
- 3% African American
1994 (Pre-Prop. 209):
- 37% Asian
- 15% Hispanic/Latino
- 36% White
- 4% African American
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
