The UW System will not take steps to support the University of Michigan in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court that could determine the future of race as a factor in public university admissions, Regent Gerard Randall said.
Randall had requested the UW System look into how it could support UM at the UW System Board of Regents meeting in December. He cited time constraints as the main reason for the decision.
\It would be the state attorney general's decision as to whether to file a brief or not,"" Randall said. ""Briefs are due mid-February, so that leaves a relatively short time for the board to make a decision at the February meeting and then for the attorney general to prepare a brief and by the time that's due for some consideration at the March meeting then it's a mute point.""
Randall, who describes himself as an enthusiastic supporter of affirmative action, said despite not being able to file a brief the UW System's support will be heard through its affiliation with a number of other major university systems around the country that have filed briefs in support of UM.
However, last week, President Bush's lawyers filed a pair of briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court going against UM's current system. Bush said, while he supports diversity, he believes the UM system is essentially a quota system that uses race to include or exclude people from higher education and thus it is unconstitutional.
The main complaint against UM is that it uses a points system in admissions and awards 20 out of 150 possible points based solely on race.
Bush suggested universities and colleges follow admissions models like those found in California, Florida and Texas which guarantee admissions to the top students from high schools throughout the state. However, Randall pointed out that the problem with this model is that it only works in states that already have a diverse population.
""It would be more difficult for states like Wisconsin, Iowa and Wyoming to achieve the level of diversity in their schools that perhaps schools on the border of Mexico and the Caribbean would have,"" Randall said.
UW-Madison Director of Admissions Robert Seltzer told The Daily Cardinal in October that UW-Madison's admissions policies are very close to those of UM. Seltzer said the schools' policies are similar enough that a ruling in the case against UM could impact the admissions system at UW-Madison.
However, UW-Madison Provost Peter Spear was quick to point out Madison does not use a point system and race is just one factor taken into consideration.
""We never admit students simply on the basis of race,"" Spear said. ""Every student we admit is qualified to succeed.""
Spear said whether or not the university changes its admissions policy depends on the position the U.S. Supreme Court takes.
""If the court says race is no longer to be considered, then UW-Madison would be forced to change its procedures,"" Spear said.
