The University of Wisconsin class of 2028 is now a month into their college experience. As a member of the freshman class, I was warned in high school of the struggles we would face in college, such as adjusting to the new people and experiences available to us.
For me, one of the biggest adjustments was the change in diversity compared to the school I came from. I was shocked to have only spoken to one Hispanic student a month into my college experience. It is clear UW has an underlying problem when it comes to diversity—one that will continue to snowball until it is addressed.
The class of 2028 is the first incoming freshman class since affirmative action was repealed. Because of this, we have seen a decrease in students of color despite an increase in the student body. This statistic is startling in the context of current trends that show people of color taking up more of the U.S. population over time, according to Pew Research Center.
But why exactly is affirmative action a necessity?
A university without minority voices will stray away from fairness and acceptance, alienating the minority population that currently exists on campus. The inverse relationship between total enrollment and students of color shows that by denying affirmative action, we are dangerously moving away from equity in higher education and continuing the enduring impacts of institutional racism.
Systemic racism and its consequences have an obvious impact on all economic and quality-of-life statistics, including the percentage of students who can attend university, according to the Center for American Progress. Moreover, it is easier for a white student to get into college simply because they have higher social capital, according to the academic blog “Contemporary Racism.”
In the context of the admission process, this would likely mean greater access to sports, clubs, tutoring, better school systems and familial connections in higher education for white students.
Affirmative action was proposed to offset these inequities and as a means to heal the wounds caused by historical discrimination.
It is important to first clear any misconceptions regarding what affirmative action is and the implications of its removal. It is a common belief that affirmative action involves a set of rules in the admission process that unfairly favors minority students over others.
In reality, affirmative action encourages admissions officers to consider the applicant in the context of the environment in which they were raised. It is not possible to compare the capabilities of a student who grew up in an underserved neighborhood with an applicant from an affluent background. Through no fault of their own, students in disadvantaged areas start behind everyone else.
Affirmative action takes into account these socioeconomic factors. It considers that economically disadvantaged students can’t afford to take the SAT multiple times, or that Advanced Placement classes are not nearly as accessible for lower-income students, according to Medium. Given that underserved neighborhoods tend to have a higher percentage of Black and Hispanic residents, ignoring affirmative action would be a direct disservice to students of color.
Discrepancy between racial groups can typically be traced back to two things: centuries of discriminatory legislation and complacency to amend those wrongs. As a “race neutral” campus, it might seem like the right thing to distance ourselves from affirmative action. But, upon looking to the past, it is clear that the addition of discriminatory legislation unsurprisingly contributes to the wealth inequality we see today. Refusing to support legislation that would help to reverse this inequality is contributing to that inequality in the same way.
After just one year without affirmative action, diversity on campus has declined. This will likely continue to be the case until doors are opened for low income and minority groups to enter higher education. I encourage our entire board of admissions to reinstate affirmative action or introduce legislation of similar effect.
Ned Eggert ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in political science.
