Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
The Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Thursday morning on a controversial diversity admissions policy at the University of Texas at Austin.
The case, Fisher v. University of Texas, was brought by Abigail Fisher, a white student in the state who claimed discrimination when she was denied admission to the campus.
High school students in Texas are guaranteed admission to a state university if they are in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. For those students outside of that 10 percent, the university considers — among many other factors — race, in determining 25 percent of its admitted students. The policy is aimed at increasing diversity on campuses.
Here in California, there is a similar program: high school students in the top 9 percent of their class are guaranteed admission to UCs. California has its own history with using race as a factor in college admissions.
For reaction and analysis, Take Two spoke to Audrey Dow, senior vice president at the Campaign for College Opportunity, a state policy and research group that works to get more students into colleges.