CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The most important public university in North Carolina is defending the use of race to admit students and wishes to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group representing past and potential applicants and parents.
The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill presented written arguments in federal court on Friday, as did the organization's lawyers called Students for Fair Admissions who presented a demand in 2014.
The plaintiffs contend that the university's practices are unconstitutional and do not comply with the guidance of the US Supreme Court. UU From a case of the University of Texas, reported The News & Observer of Raleigh.
"The use of the race by the UNC is the opposite of the individualized, the UNC uses it mechanically to ensure the admission of the vast majority of underrepresented minorities," says the legal report of the group.
Chancellor Carol Folt and Provost Bob Blouin, in a campus-wide message on Friday, said the school's admissions policies and practices adhere to the letter and the spirit of the law. The university also has a long-standing commitment to diversity, according to the school's report.
"In its academic judgment, the university has determined that pursuing the educational benefits of diversity is an integral part of fulfilling its mission to prepare the next generation of leaders" , reads the school presentation.
Students for fair admissions also sued Harvard University for its admission policies and a trial in the case that concluded in November. The judge, however, still has to rule in the case that is followed closely
In the Texas matter, the Supreme Court said that race can only be considered in college admissions if it is used in a narrowly designed manner to achieve compelling governmental interest. The court also said that universities should first test "viable neutral alternatives for the race." UNC says that such alternatives do not promote the diversity objectives of the university
Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions, said the group's presentation contains calculations from an expert witness who said an Asian-American candidate from North Carolina with a 25 percent chance of joining the school would increase his probability to approximately 67 percent if he were Latino. It would rise to more than 90 percent if it were African-American.
But UNC-Chapel Hill, who wants the US District Judge. UU Loretta Biggs holds a hearing on her dismissal motion, says there are no racial or ethnic quotas in the admission process, and race is one of the many factors considered.
"No reasonable fact can conclude in this record that the university uses fees, participates in racial assignments or assignments of points, or intentionally discriminates against applicants based on race" said the school's paper.
More than 4,300 freshmen entered UNC-Chapel Hill last fall, with more than 43,000 freshman applications filed.
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