No more AA at Michigan Law?

[und3r3stimat3d]

So I'm reading Michigan's new application for entering 2008, and I notice that their section on "ethnicity" (Race) is the very last question and it says clearly "process. Your answer, or decision not to answer, will have no bearing on the Law
School’s admission decision." Further, they also say "The people who read and make a decision on your application will not see your answer to this question." So is affirmative action dead at Michigan? I know the voters rejected it in November, but i figured they'd plow on with AA while there were court battles. I know it can still be used through diversity essays, but I thought this was interesting and haven't heard much discussion of it.



I couldn't decide whether to put this here or under the Application thread, so I'm putting it in both places. Sorry.

[Denny Crane]

Officially, AA is dead in all of Michigan's public universities (and in the public sector in Michigan generally).


But I'm sure they'll try to do their best to keep recruitment of minorities up.


One thing I imagine they could do is keep track of the minorities they send fee waivers to through the LSAC Candidate Referral Service and then match names on applications to their list of those people.  It would probably be quite an arduous task (unless they have a computerized system that can do it automatically for them), but it's one way for them to subvert prop 2.

[dontknowwheretogo]

Also don't forget the Personal Statement and Diversity Statement

[Kirk Lazarus]

Also don't forget the Personal Statement and Diversity Statement

rightfully so. Taking a person's identity (which often has a pretty large influence on how your life plays) out of the question as a qualification in a process that is admittedly subjective is stupid anyway.

[und3r3stimat3d]

Also don't forget the Personal Statement and Diversity Statement

rightfully so. Taking a person's identity (which often has a pretty large influence on how your life plays) out of the question as a qualification in a process that is admittedly subjective is stupid anyway.

that's not very objectivist of you, Galt

[Lindbergh]

Also don't forget the Personal Statement and Diversity Statement

rightfully so. Taking a person's identity (which often has a pretty large influence on how your life plays) out of the question as a qualification in a process that is admittedly subjective is stupid anyway.

Personally, I think what's stupid is assuming that someone's "identiy" (or life) is somehow determined by one's ethinicity and skin color.

[Kirk Lazarus]

Personally, I think what's stupid is assuming that someone's "identiy" (or life) is somehow determined by one's ethinicity and skin color.

... so says the white guy.

It's clearly not the only factor in shaping a person's life but it can be at least as important as anything else (economic status, gender, sexual orientation, extraordinary event, etc).  To say otherwise is just... dense.

QFT


Also, I'm annoyed the guy is using semantics when clearly I meant "racial identity."

[OperaAttorney]

Lindbergh: Personally, I think what's stupid is assuming that someone's "identiy" (or life) is somehow determined by one's ethinicity and skin color.

Personally, I think what's stupid is an obviously malicious bigot making the above statement!   

[und3r3stimat3d]

Lindbergh: Personally, I think what's stupid is assuming that someone's "identiy" (or life) is somehow determined by one's ethinicity and skin color.

Personally, I think what's stupid is an obviously malicious bigot making the above statement!   

Play nice, guys. Don't make me sorry I started this thread!

[LuvHurtz]

Though Michigan claims to no longer use AA I don't think that it's true. I know a number of minority applicants who were admitted this past cycle with between a 3.5 and 3.7 GPA and an LSAT score in the 150s (156-158). The only thing they did differently if I understand correctly was remove the part of the app where the applicant chose a racial identity. But since a number of minority applicants identify their race in their DS or some other essay I think it defeats the purpose.