Back To School: Ban on affirmative action impacts college students
MIAMI - While many higher learning institutions are now having to adjust to the Supreme Court's decision to ban affirmative action in college admissions, Florida, along with nine other states, has had a ban for years.
However, this decision will still affect Florida.
"I'm in international relations," said David Dare.
Dare is a college student at Florida International University (FIU), but his pursuit of higher education may not end there.
"Limiting access to top schools will reduce the opportunities we have," he stated.
He is disappointed by the recent Supreme Court decision to strip affirmative action from college admissions. He believes it's important to see people like him at top tier schools such as Harvard.
"It allows me to dream big. I think it's really possible for someone like me, probably from a low-income background," Dare expressed.
Mari Corugedo with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) says affirmative action is an equalizer, even in areas as diverse as Miami.
"Miami is over 70 percent Latino, but I'm pretty sure that when we look at our African American community, they don't get the same opportunities that others are getting in Miami," Corugedo explained.
Florida isn't the only state that has banned affirmative action. California banned it in 1996, and chancellors with the University of California (UC) system argue that other diversity initiatives in place of affirmative action do not work.
They recently wrote in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, "Despite extensive efforts, UC struggles to enroll a student body that is sufficiently diverse."
Leroy Pernell, a professor of law at Florida A&M University, is concerned.
"My concern is that higher education institutions in Florida will, out of fear, decide that they're going to cut back," Pernell stated.
They might cut back on efforts to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion, and possibly rely on test scores, which Pernell believes isn't enough.
"How schools deal with that in terms of whether they're producing the best students? I think that's going to be the challenge," Pernell remarked.
The Supreme Court ruling doesn't ignore race altogether a person's race can still be considered as part of their background for college admission.