GR Campus Sponsors Affirmative Action Debate

Over 60 students, faculty, and interested guests attended a lively debate on October 4 on the GR campus that focused on the Supreme Court decisions in the University of Michigan affirmative action cases. The debate panelists were Jonathan Alger, Assistant General Counsel at the University of Michigan, and Carl Cohen, a philosophy professor also from the University of Michigan. Moderating the debate was Professor Phil Prygoski, who has taught Constitutional Law at Cooley for over 20 years.

Professor Cohen defended his position that race preference criteria reinforce stereotypes and that affirmative action, which was designed to eliminate race preferences now are the exact opposite. He emphasized that discrimination based on race is morally wrong and intolerable, but went on to say that no educational benefit of racial diversity has ever been established, and college campuses should instead strive for intellectual diversity.

Mr. Alger expressed his belief that diversity at the university has educational benefits for the entire student body. He said that diversity is not just about race, but also about family background, socioeconomic status, life experiences, and disabilities. He defended the University of Michigan's revamped admissions process which is based on holistic and individualized reviews of all applicants.

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This Page was last updated on: 10/12/2004