Association takes issue with July 8th Opinion Poll on Affirmative Action and calls it "Misleading and Inaccurate"
Washington, DC, July 20, 2016 - The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), an association of equal opportunity, affirmative action, diversity and human resources professionals, has taken issue with an opinion poll's results published by Inside Higher Ed (IHE) on July 8, 2016.
The article is titled "Poll: Public Opposes Affirmative Action." This poll was released on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case, where the plaintiff, Abigail Fisher, claimed that the University violated the Constitution by using race as a factor in admitting students. Ms. Fisher failed to gain admission. The Court held in favor of the University.
In a letter to Inside Higher Ed dated July 13, 2016, AAAED wrote:
"At issue is the way the questions were presented, which yielded the predictable results. The primary question posed is: 'Which comes closer to your view about evaluating students for admission into a college or university - applicants should be admitted solely on the basis of merit, even if that results in few minority students being admitted....?'"
The Association's letter stated: "The decision is never race vs. merit. Selective colleges and universities have for decades considered a number of factors including test scores and grades. Geography, athletics, musical ability and other talents, socio-economic status, legacies, being first generation college-going, or extra-curricular activities are examples of these factors."
"Race is also not simply a matter of skin color and is an equally valid consideration as is athletic ability or socio-economic status," added AAAED Executive Director Shirley J. Wilcher. The letter states: Race "reflects experiences as members of minority groups, like, e.g., being profiled by police or subjected to sub-standard schools."
The article is titled "Poll: Public Opposes Affirmative Action." This poll was released on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case, where the plaintiff, Abigail Fisher, claimed that the University violated the Constitution by using race as a factor in admitting students. Ms. Fisher failed to gain admission. The Court held in favor of the University.
In a letter to Inside Higher Ed dated July 13, 2016, AAAED wrote:
"At issue is the way the questions were presented, which yielded the predictable results. The primary question posed is: 'Which comes closer to your view about evaluating students for admission into a college or university - applicants should be admitted solely on the basis of merit, even if that results in few minority students being admitted....?'"
The Association's letter stated: "The decision is never race vs. merit. Selective colleges and universities have for decades considered a number of factors including test scores and grades. Geography, athletics, musical ability and other talents, socio-economic status, legacies, being first generation college-going, or extra-curricular activities are examples of these factors."
"Race is also not simply a matter of skin color and is an equally valid consideration as is athletic ability or socio-economic status," added AAAED Executive Director Shirley J. Wilcher. The letter states: Race "reflects experiences as members of minority groups, like, e.g., being profiled by police or subjected to sub-standard schools."
Read the Inside Higher Ed article here.
Read the complete AAAED statement here.
Read the AAAED letter to Inside Higher Ed here.
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