some people it may be a place
where you have to pretend to be
someone else. The I say up actor
on sensor starts right now. And
welcome to the factor uncensored
thank you for joining us tonight
down affirmative action
in
college admissions now banning
schools from taking race into
consideration for new students
the potential consequences at
angles of this decision joining
us here on the factor on sensor
for the conversation Dr Dietrich
von beaten fell from the
Attorney audio gels Dr James
Douglas from the Thurgood
Marshall school of law and Dr
David Brennan from the
university of Houston downtown
have you all here on the factor
on since it first Dr Britain
let's start with you what does
this decision mean for those who
may not have gotten it yet. Well
this decision means that
universities in the admission
process are going to have to
take race out of any any of the
application is far as deciding
who will be entered. So a lot of
Texas universities already do
this but- famous universities
like Harvard and Ivy League
schools have long said that.
Having a racial divert racially
diverse student body is very
important. And is it is vital to
their university this will be
gone after this and that will
not no longer be able to take
that in into consideration. And
of course Dr von B. to fill how
did we get here how did we get
here today where the Supreme
Court had to make a decision on
this. This is been a persistent
tactic it's gone on with that
California we've got the Abigail
Fisher case were somebody who is
not an attractive candidate I'm
judging her appearance though I
would not of take her out for
dinner- academic. Record was not
lovable and so we kept seeing
these efforts to remove
consideration even though the
removed as consideration. The
same sort of- Anglo Saxon
candidates who were trying to
get that. Work were moved out
just as much the Asian
of those vacancies and vacuums
but the disparity for black and
in minority candidates then
moved. To and from fifteen to
twenty four to thirty four
percent. In various schools I
mean the record shows that under
representative- under
represented in in other
disenfranchised communities.
Continued to struggled without
that consideration so people
have been persisting politically
in trying to remove- ethnic
considerations historical
any of those ideas. From
academic achievement and now
we've seen it move into the
challenge here is. We didn't
sing with Harvard which is a
private school so in most
conservative super majority
saying. You know businesses get
to pick who they want and that's
their their business how they
determine criteria. But then in
education Harvard Yale and other
private institutions are now not
allowed to determine their own
criteria idea how big of a set
students. Around the country-
are not sure how much of a
setback it really is when we
dive into the statistics and the
numerically speaking- what are
we looking at the number of
students that are African
American that were in Harvard
before. The incoming class I
believe was about nineteen
hundred only about three hundred
more African American- but I
look at as an attorney I so I in
my professional opinion in my
personal opinion. On the
professional side I got a chance
to dive into three hundred page
Supreme Court decision and
surprised by the decision of the
Supreme Court. Just by the way
that the defense attorneys for
Harvard and U. N. C. lackluster
Lee argued on behalf of those
universities- at one point
during one of the oral arguments
you had one of the defense
attorneys actually agree with
the Supreme Court justice. And
say I know it's very difficult
for us to even surpass the
standard or make the standard.
So there are two things that the
university's had to prove one
that they had a- sunset period
which is which what we found in
the Fisher case. Which the-
Texas University was able to
prove Hey we have a specific
finite in date- for using race
as a standard to allow
individuals and- the second
uncensored consider this twenty
five years ago when the State of
California got rid of its
affirmative action at colleges
and rule meant for minority
students at UCLA and Berkeley
their enrollment from minority
students dropped by 40% to this
day the state still hasn't fully
recovered from that we talk with
minority students at the
university of Houston downtown
about the feelings of the
supreme court's ruling to get
college level nationwide. What
Miguel and Gilbert- thank you
for joining us here on the
factor on since you guys are
both students here at the
university of Houston downtown
you know what happened with the
U. S. Supreme Court and their
decision on affirmative action
so we go first of all do you
agree or disagree with that
affirmative action. I disagree I
think that we've opened a real
Pandora's box in terms of
setting us country back in the
achieving equality a in this
country for Americans- as
affirmative action open the door
for millions of people to be
able to enter- the higher
education space but also the
professional space and I believe
that contrary to what the
Supreme Court said. It sets a
lot more barriers for people of
color to be able to enter the
space what do you foresee
happening in the future now when
it comes to people of color and
Texas a and M. Z. UT's. What
happens to on this- well it one
of two things will happen-
universities are gonna have to
scramble to decide whether they
take a holistic approach to our-
admissions where they view it
and individual. Wholly and fully
as themselves or they decide to
who fleeing into is test scores
and- lean into the standardized
exams. And Gilbert to what about
you your thoughts on the ruling
from the Supreme Court. And do
you think it's a good thing bad
thing walked so I am actually in
my heart tells me it's a good
thing because I would. Love for
everything on paper to be judge
basis on skin color. But we
damages from things like Jim
crow the Chinese exclusion act.
Lots of discriminatory laws have
been placed so are we Nestle
ready for that step to are yes
heart I say I agree with that
but the way it was done executed
was absolutely wrong adding that
should be given the people more
time. To adapt. So do you think
right now if they get rid of a
for. Action we know is a- black
a black Hispanic. Or other
minority groups will be on a
level playing field with those
who may not be like white citing
it was done way to were I think
we're on the right track you
know we are seeing higher
progression. And literacy rates
average American meetings in on
all. Of personal collection is
receiving higher rates of
education. But we're not at the
level two or you just pull this
affirmative action my mom was in
the grip from Mexico. On and she
got into it pretty much any
dental school she wanted to was
because she was Hispanic and one
the only Hispanic. With
poor from the well. And I should
have never had the opportunity
had it not been permitted
actions I'm a direct benefactor
of it- and I believe hard
working to nation do make you.
But however where I carry out
off of that is that. We as a
society are not there yet. So my
heart is me yes we should have
been done but further down the
road. And so what do you guys
think will happen to education
as a result of. This and- either
one of you can talk. I think
that. The White the gap widened
I think that. This will become a
much more rarefied space for
people to enter. And the barrier
to entry into higher education
for. The average student I think
that- the more it restriction so
you place in terms of the
standardized test scores as
opposed to viewing- the-
applicant. As a holistic point
of view- you look. At the person
more for them as a number as
opposed to an individual. All
right and- commercial I also
agree what a graph but I also
think this is one symptom of a
bigger problem within the
education system American
general is broken. If you look
with a high school degree was
and then I could nineteen
forties fifties it's nothing