Obama Speaks Against Racial Descrimination in University Admissions

In 2003, following a Supreme Court ruling, the University of Michigan put an end to its point-based undergraduate admission system that automatically gave under-represented minority students
points based on their race.

It's a decision that's been upheld in courts despite protests from both national and local civil rights groups.

In an interview with The New Yorker that was posted on its website Monday, President Barack Obama said that he believes the Constitution permits the use of racial preferences, though only within carefully defined limits. He specifically mentioned U-M in making a point about the use of race during the admittance process.

The practice of considering race should be allowed "If the University of Michigan or California decides that there is a value in making sure that folks with different experiences in a classroom will enhance the educational experience of the students, and they do it in a careful way," Obama told The New Yorker.

He continued: "Most of the time the law's principle job should be as a shield against discrimination, as opposed to a sword to advance a social agenda, because the law is a blunt instrument in these situations."

The Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that while Michigan universities could use race as a factor in choosing which students to admit, they could not make race the determining factor in deciding whether applicants are accepted.

"It's legitimate to say that when the government takes race into account it should be subject to some oversight by the courts," he told the magazine.

Obama went on to say that he thinks the biggest issues concerning race are "rooted in economics and the legacy of slavery," and that those issues are to blame for the "vastly different" opportunities available for African-Americans and whites.

"I understand, certainly sitting in this office, that probably the single most important thing I could do for poor black kids is to make sure that they're getting a good K-through-12 education," he said.

"And, if they're coming out of high school well prepared, then they'll be able to compete for university slots and jobs. And that has more to do with budgets and early-childhood education and stuff that needs to be legislated."

Credit: m-Live