Asian Americans and Affirmative Action

What is Affirmative Action? Institutional efforts to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in U.S. workplaces and in higher education Not every affirmative action program is the same – but the most controversial affirmative action policy is in higher education admissions

What does the law say? “Bakke Decision” Alan Bakke v. University of California Board of Regents (1978) No fixed quotas Colleges and Universities can use race as one of an array of factors Emphasis on diversity

What does the law say? Diversity compelling interest in higher education Race is one of a number of factors that can be taken into account to achieve the educational benefits of a diverse student body Law school admission that aims for critical mass of underrepresented students (black, Latino, Native American) is constitutional Undergrad admissions system that awards underrepresented students 20 points not allowed

Fisher v. Texas (2013) Race-based affirmative action is allowed University must show that its plan is narrowly tailored to address compelling state interest of diversity Race is one of a number of factors considered, not the only or primary

Schuette v. Coaltion to Defend Affirmative Action (2014) Affirmative action is constitutional States can (through ballot initiatives or other voter mechanisms) ban affirmative action programs

Opponents Argue that Affirmative Action is Constitutionally unacceptable racial classification Reverse discrimination Stigmatizes the beneficiaries and perceived beneficiaries

Proponents argue that Affirmative Action Constitutionally mandated -triggered to remedy equal protection violations that result from educational inequity Ensuring a better educational environment through racial diversity Addressing past and current systematic discrimination in the educational system (K-12)

What does this have to do with Asian Americans?

In 2012, the average SAT scores for all admitted Asian-American and white students was 1375 out of The grade point average was 4.75, using a weighting system that allows for scores above 4.0. The average high school GPA and SAT scores for the “underrepresented minorities” (African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans) were 4.40 and Insider HigherEd 2014

Keep in mind These are averages MANY African American, Latino, and Native American students score higher than the average MANY Asian American and white students score lower Not every African American or Latino student gets in because of affirmative action Asian American students benefit from affirmative action if they are from underrepresented groups

Harvard accepts 5.9 percent of all applicants 2012 Asian Americans comprise 21 percent of the class in 2012 Lawsuit says the percentage would be higher if admissions were based on grades/test scores alone Contends Asian Americans face racial discrimination

Harvard rejects thousands of Valedictorians with perfect SATs every year

Test scores Are test scores a good measure of ability and merit? – Some say yes, makes it easy to compare students, the most obvious measure – Some say no, find that SATs only predict performance in 1 st year of college, family socioeconomic status the best measure

Why such high test scores? Once one controls for parents’ income and education levels, “the amount of investment [in education], for the most part, is not significantly different from that of Whites” for blacks, Latinos, or Asians. All groups have a “cultural value” for education -Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014 h ttp:// ttp://

Predictors of SAT scores /03/05/these-four-charts-show-how-the-sat-favors- the-rich-educated-families/

Predictors of SAT scores sat-scores-and-income-inequality-how-wealthier- kids-rank-higher/

Should a test score guarantee admission?

Does affirmative action stigmatize targeted groups? Support is high among targeted groups and majority of whites

2012 National Asian American Survey At 78 percent, Asian Americans show stronger support for affirmative action than the average American population

How to explain Asian American support for affirmative action? Even if half of the applicant pool to Harvard is Asian American, that is less than % of the Asian American population. Majority of Asian American students attend community colleges Asian Americans who do attend 4-year colleges, more likely to attend non-elite public universities than private 4-year colleges