ANN ARBOR, Mich.
Minority enrollment at the University of Michigan, which dropped after
the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated its undergraduate admissions policy
as unconstitutionally favoring minorities, is bouncing back.
This fall’s freshman class includes 443 Black students — the same
number as in 2002, the year before the court ruling. Blacks make up
more than 7 percent of the entering class of 6,115.
In 2003, the high court upheld a general affirmative action policy at
the University of Michigan’s law school but struck down the
undergraduate admissions formula because it awarded points based on
race.
Enrollment jumped nearly 27 percent from last year, when the university had 350 Black freshmen.
“We see that as a pretty significant recovery,” university spokeswoman Julie Peterson said.
Meanwhile, the number of Hispanic first-year students rose from 264 last year to 312 this fall, an 18 percent increase.
The university adopted a new application that still considers race but does not award points.
University officials credited aggressive recruitment efforts for this
year’s minority gains. But Terry Pell, an attorney for the Center for
Individual Rights, said the university is still using racial
preferences to boost minority enrollment.
— Associated Press
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
