Affirmative-action debate continues

Center for Economic Opportunity reports law school entry is easier for minorities
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PHOENIX — A new study today by an organization opposed to affirmative action concludes minorities are more likely to be admitted to the state's two public law schools than similarly qualified Anglos.
The report by the Center for Economic Opportunity shows the number of Anglos, Asians, Hispanics and blacks admitted to the law colleges at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona is pretty much in proportion to the number that apply.
But it also finds both schools admit minorities with lower grade-point averages and scores on the Law School Aptitude Test than Anglos.
According to the report, at UA the median LSAT score for black students admitted in 2007 was 15 percent below whites; for Hispanics, the difference was 10 percent. At ASU, median scores for blacks were 8.3 percent below whites; there was a 6.7 percent difference between Hispanics and Anglos.
The report says incoming Anglo and Asian students had a 3.6 grade-point average in 2007, compared with 3.5 for Hispanics and 3.4 for blacks. At ASU the average white GPA was 3.7, compared with 3.4 for black and Hispanic students.
The result, according to Roger Clegg, the organization's president, is black and Hispanic applicants with equal GPA and LSAT scores are significantly more likely to be admitted to the UA law school than white students. He said the imbalance is far greater at ASU.
Neither school has denied using race or ethnicity as a factor in determining who gets the limited number of slots available each year. In fact, top officials of both schools acknowledged they consider such factors necessary to promote diversity.
And Clegg conceded that, while the U.S. Supreme Court has outlawed quotas in choosing students, the high court said achieving diversity goals by looking at factors like race and ethnicity is permitted.
That, however, could change — at least in Arizona.
Clegg's organization originally started the study in support of a ballot proposition being pushed by millionaire California entrepreneur Ward Connerly to outlaw affirmative-action programs not only in public education but also in employment and contracting. [To read the entire story, go to: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/260220 ]