Universities Weblog

A recent New York Times essay explores the notion that race-based affirmative action actually benefits rich, white families. The argument here is that by focusing on racial equality, universities neglect class-based, or economic, equality. And while creating a microcosm of society by admitting more minority students doesn't necessarily displace wealthy students, trying to mirror society's financial picture would. In other words, elite colleges would no longer be bastions for the upper class, so the upper class prefers that the spotlight remain on race.

Here's an excerpt:

In the end, we like policies like affirmative action not so much because they solve the problem of racism but because they tell us that racism is the problem we need to solve. And the reason we like the problem of racism is that solving it just requires us to give up our prejudices, whereas solving the problem of economic inequality might require something more—it might require us to give up our money. [...]. For as long as we're committed to thinking of difference as something that should be respected, we don't have to worry about it as something that should be eliminated. As long as we think that our best universities are fair if they are appropriately diverse, we don't have to worry that most people can't go to them, while others get to do so because they've had the good luck to be born into relatively wealthy families.Does this argument have merit? Sure, but it's hardly new. Universities have long wrestled with balancing racial and economic representation. Certainly there is some overlap here, but it's not that neat.

Then again, nothing about college admissions seems to be.

Did you enjoy this article?