ERIC Number: ED202372
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1977-Oct
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Review of Issues Raised in Briefs Filed with the Supreme Court of the United States in Regents of the University of California (Davis) v. Bakke.
McKay, Robert B.
Based on a review of the briefs filed with the U. S. Supreme Court in the Bakke case, the principal arguments addressed to the Court, possible dispositions of the case, and implications for the educational community are addressed. Bakke's claim is that he had been denied the equal protection of the laws in that applicants of lesser obective qualifications had been admitted in the University of California (Davis) Medical School because of their race. The decision of the California Supreme Court and the admissions process at Davis are outlined. Among the points significant to the future of minority participation in higher education on which there is substantial agreement are the following: it is justifiable to take special steps in an effort to enlarge the proportion of minority students attending medical schools and other segments of higher education; the medical school at Davis has never practiced discrimination; in the absence of special admissions programs, the number and proportion of minority students in higher education would decline sharply; tests and grades do not predict success or failure but only probabilities; and applicants need not be taken in rank order of performance in terms of grades and test scores. The basic questions in the case is whether race can be taken into consideration in admissions decisions at a public institution, when done for valid social purposes. Bakke and his supporters insist that the Davis medical school has a quota system for admissions. The University's position is that there is no quota system, and that the medical school does not admit unqualified applicants in order to insure that each entering class contains a particular number of minorities. The positions of several professional associations and the U. S. government regarding special admissions programs to professional schools are outlined. (SW)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek, MI.
Authoring Institution: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.; Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO. Inservice Education Program.
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Bakke v Regents of University of California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A