The Supreme Court’s ruling on the University of Texas-Austin’s affirmative action policy Monday will likely require no changes to the admissions process at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chancellor David Ward said in a statement.
The case examined UT-Austin’s admissions procedure, which considers race as one factor in the admissions decision. Abigail Fisher, a white student, sued the school after the university rejected her application in 2008. Fisher claimed the university’s admissions policy is a violation of the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
In the decision, Supreme Court justices ruled 7-1 Monday that public universities should only use admissions programs based on race when there are no alternative methods that would ensure a diverse campus. The decision also sends the ruling to the lower courts to decide if UT-Austin correctly followed affirmative action precedent set in an earlier Supreme Court case.
In the statement, Ward said preliminary analysis by UW-Madison’s lawyers shows the verdict seems to be customized to address UT-Austin’s admissions policies.
Ward also said the university will continue to follow the case as it moves into the lower courts.
In another statement released June 17, Ward said UW-Madison uses a “holistic” admissions approach that looks at factors beyond academic performance, such as written statements, extracurricular activities and leadership positions.
In a 2012 interview about the possible effects of Fisher v. University of Texas, Provost Paul DeLuca told The Daily Cardinal that a holistic approach helps the school create a student body that is “diverse in every sense of the word,” which DeLuca said includes first-generation college students, students representing all parts of the state of Wisconsin and different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
