Is it time to end affirmative action? The Supreme Court is set to rule on the use of racial preferences in college admissions.

• Author: Pell, Terence
• Position: DEBATE

YES

Affirmative action should mean going the extra mile to consider people from all racial groups based on ability, not skin color. That's what President John F. Kennedy meant by "affirmative action" when he coined the term in 1961.

Today, however, many schools judge minority applicants under separate, lower standards. In some cases, schools accept minority applicants with grades and test scores far below those of nonminority applicants.

How big are the preferences? The Supreme Court is considering a case involving the University of Texas. UT has a two-tiered system for admissions. It automatically admits all applicants in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. In filling the remaining slots, UT gives preferential treatment to minorities: Average SAT scores for blacks admitted in this second group are much lower than those of whites and Asians; Asians scored at the 93rd percentile of SAT takers nationwide, whites at the 89th percentile, and blacks at the 52nd.

Preferences hurt those they're trying to help. Students admitted with scores this far below the class average have difficulty competing. There are exceptions, but most students admitted under preferential policies choose less-demanding majors, get lower grades, and drop out at higher rates.

These results come not from race but from unfair admissions systems. Any student admitted on the basis of preferences-whether an athletic preference or an alumni preference--would face the same problem.

It's time to return to the ideal of affirmative action: treating everyone equally, according to the same standards, regardless of race.

--TERENCE PELL

President, Center for individual Rights

NO

Affirmative action is still a necessary tool to level the playing field for all Americans. The purpose of affirmative action is to provide opportunities, not to create quotas, which the Supreme Court has explicitly forbidden. For far too long, fully qualified Americans were excluded from access to...