As the fairness of affirmative action in higher education becomes an issue for the Bush administration, the U.S. Armed Services Academies are defending the use of race in their admission policies to maintain both integrated student bodies and officer corps.

The issue gained attention after President Bush criticized the University of Michigan’s policies that preference some applicants because of their race instead of “any academic achievement or life experience.”

Last month the Bush administration filed a brief in the Michigan case with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the preference minority students receive in the admissions process violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law.

University of Wisconsin political science lecturer Martin Sweet said Bush might have legitimate concerns.

“Affirmative action splits a lot of people,” Sweet said. “Bush may actually believe affirmative action is wrong.”

The Bush administration hopes to achieve diversity in higher education in a “race-neutral” way. The system would require schools to admit a specific percentage of students from every high school in a given state, but this standard would not apply to national institutions like the academies.

Sweet said this solution is not balanced, because every high school’s diversity is different.

While the military academies do require all of their applicants to meet standard qualifications, race plays a part in who is finally accepted.

Maj. Kent Cassella, chief of public information at the United States Military Academy at West Point, said race is important because officers need to be a reflection of society and the army. He said a diverse student body allows cadets to achieve an education that would be useful in an army career.

“We want these people — the future leaders — to have an understanding of their society,” Cassella said.

Sweet said race is a smaller issue in the military than it is in the private sector, however.

He said in a military career, officers earn promotions strictly through ranks and their field duties, which differs from the private sector. Sweet also said the military was a pioneer in integration and has its own connection to “affirmative action” practices.

Minorities make up 44 percent of the Army and approximately 16 percent of West Point cadets.

“Our officers need to reflect the military service they lead,” Cassella said. “Through our diversity, we find our strength.”

A group of retired senior officers concerned about the Bush administration’s position is planning to file a friend-of-the-court brief warning against any Supreme Court ruling that would jeopardize the academies’ function in integrating officer corps.

The administration wants the Supreme Court to reverse the 1978 Bakke decision, which barred fixed quotas but allowed race to be a consideration in admission. The military plaintiffs will ask the court not to alter the standard it set in Bakke.

“I don’t think the Supreme Court will touch this issue … so it won’t really affect the administration or changes in affirmative action,” Sweet said.

The service academies will continue to recruit minorities and abide by affirmative-action laws, but they say they will never lower their qualification standards to meet the goal of racial diversity.