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Affirmative-action foes long have gained support by distorting the data to further their political agenda. Now with just two weeks to go until the vote on the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI)—a proposal to ban affirmative action in public education, employment and contracting—they've done it again.
The Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO)—a conservative think-tank opposed to affirmative action—conducted three independent studies of admissions at the University of Michigan (UM) undergraduate, law and medical schools. Relying exclusively on admissions-odds ratios, CEO concludes that preferences are more pronounced than when the Supreme Court struck down UM's quota-based undergraduate-admissions policies in 2003. CEO maintains preferences are more pronounced in both graduate and undergraduate admissions, but even a cursory look at the data shows this is wrong.
Consider UM Medical School admissions, for example. In 1999, blacks and Latinos comprised 10 percent of the applicant pool and 19 percent of admittees; whites were 58 percent and 62 percent, respectively. In 2005, blacks and Latinos comprised 11 percent of the applicant pool and 13 percent of admittees; whites were 57 percent and 63 percent, respectively.
The increase in applicants of color can be attributed, at least in part, to their increased representation in the population. Whites may make up a smaller portion of the applicant pool, but even CEO's data show they are still being admitted at a higher rate than blacks and Latinos.
The real impact
CEO Chairman Linda Chavez says in her statement, "Perhaps the most disheartening evidence in the CEO studies, however, was that racial preferences don't even help the intended beneficiaries succeed in college. Based on college GPAs …"
If higher education is charged with preparing students for the work force, it is illogical to evaluate "success" by college GPAs. Not only are these poor indicators of students' capacities, there is no significant correlation between how students fare in higher education and how they perform in the workplace, according to a 2005 study by researchers from the Urban Institute and the University of California at Irvine. Despite lower college grades, these students benefit from higher graduation rates and higher salaries later in life.
"It is simply erroneous to believe that university admissions have ever operated as simple meritocracies, in which slots have been rationed according to grades and test scores alone," the researchers write. "The preferences of university officials across types of students are complex and multi-dimensional … the 'inefficiency' of the matching process at universities cannot be simply measured by observed gaps between whites and minorities in grades or test scores—even where those gaps are substantial, and even where they are at least partly attributable to Affirmative Action policy."
CEO argues that the university's policies consistently encourage admission of black and Latino candidates who are less "qualified" than white applicants. But its sole determinant of "quality" is numerical—GPAs, SAT or ACT, and LSAT and MCAT scores for the three institutions, respectively. This diminishes the totality of candidates' applications—high-school rigor, extracurricular activities, personal essays and recommendations, and socioeconomic status, which unduly prevents black and Latino students from accessing many of the college-preparatory classes that more white students are privy to because of their backgrounds.
Per-capita income for blacks and Latinos in Michigan remains significantly lower than that of whites—$16,760, $15,306 and $26,241, respectively, according to the Census Bureau.
"CEO attempts to reduce human beings to a couple of simplistic numbers," University of Michigan spokesperson Julie Peterson said in a statement. "No top university admits students solely on the basis of grades and test scores. We consider many factors in order to admit a group of students who have diverse talents, who are highly motivated and who have the potential to succeed at Michigan and make a contribution to the learning environment."
Why diversity matters: UM law and medical schools
University of Michigan Law School alumni of color are equally as likely as white alumni to pass at least one state bar, practice law successfully and consistently, and earn higher incomes, according to research by the University of Michigan Center for the Education of Women, which tracked alumni data dating back to 1970. In addition, alumni of color were also more likely to be involved in community work and leadership roles.
The persistent disparities in healthcare underscore the need for diversity within the medical profession. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 51 percent of black and 33 percent of Latino medical students matriculating in 2004 planned to practice in underserved areas, compared with 18 percent of whites.
Stay tuned for more DiversityInc in-depth coverage of the campaign to save affirmative action in Michigan and what you can do to help.
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