Bush opposes U. Mich affirmative action policy

President Bush announced Wednesday that his administration would oppose the University of Michigan in its fight for affirmative action before the U.S. Supreme Court. Two cases against affirmative action policies at Michigan are currently before the Supreme Court -- one dealing with policies in undergraduate admissions and another in the Michigan Law School. Both cases were mounted against Michigan in 1997 on behalf of rejected white applicants. Bush and other conservatives argue that the Michigan system results in illegal discrimination against white students. "I strongly support diversity of all kinds, including racial diversity in higher education," Bush stated in a press conference Wednesday afternoon. "But the method used by the University of Michigan to achieve this important goal is fundamentally flawed." This is the first time the Supreme Court has faced the controversial issue of affirmative action in over two decades, since Regents of the University of California v. Bakke in 1978. The Bakke decision prohibited the use of quotas in college admissions, but allowed colleges to consider race in the effort to enroll a diverse student body. Michigan uses a rigid admissions process of ranking undergraduate applicants on a point system. On a 150-point scale, an advantage of 20 points is awarded for minority status. The law school evaluates applicants individually, but also strongly considers race in admissions decisions. "At their core, the Michigan policies amount to a quota system that unfairly rewards or penalizes perspective students, based solely on their race," Bush said. Bush's administration had planned to file a brief to the Supreme Court yesterday opposing Michigan. "It is unfortunate that the president misunderstands how our admissions process works," Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman said in a press release Wednesday. "We do not have, and have never had, quotas or numerical targets in either the undergraduate or law school admissions programs," Coleman said. Last week, Bush received a personal letter signed by the leaders of 34 higher education associations urging his administration to defend Michigan and file a brief in support of the university's policies. Supporters of affirmative action were enraged by the Bush administration's decision to stand in opposition of Michigan. "The Bush administration is attempting to perpetrate a racist fraud," said Luke Massie, a national organizer with The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action and Integration By Any Means Necessary. "Bush consciously misrepresented Michigan policies by representing them as quotas," Massie said. "Integration and equality can't be achieved without active measures like affirmative action." BAMN is currently organizing a civil rights march to the Supreme Court on the day of the hearings, which are expected to be held in March. "We've drawn very substantial national support," Massie said. "But no matter which way the Supreme Court rules, the fight is not over."