Net (Race) Neutral: An Essay on How GPA + (Reweighted) SAT - Race = Diversity

Abstract

This essay examines the issue of race-conscious consideration in the higher education admissions process by looking at the 2013 case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. Prof. Goodman provides some thoughts on a race-neutral alternative that may accomplish the goal of enhanced racial and ethnic diversity in the admissions process, thereby rendering the University of Texas admissions program unconstitutional. We have just passed the tenth anniversary of the Grutter decision, and attempts to accomplish Grutter’s goal of diversity in elite -- and even mediocre -- institutions of higher education will be thwarted in the absence of affirmative action. While only a handful of states have outlawed affirmative action and the Court narrowly supports it, successful strikes against race conscious affirmative action may be on the horizon, and race neutral measures that enhance diversity can be beneficial to students of all colors.

Keywords: affirmative action, higher education, admissions, race-neutral, racial diversity, ethnic diversity, race-conscious