Affirmative Action at Risk

              Texas involved in a race scandal?  No way!  Once again, the Lone Star State finds itself embroidered in heated controversy over race relations.  This time, the issue arise from the liberal capital of Texas, Austin.  The University of Texas went before the United States Supreme Court last Wednesday to defend their policy of questioning race in freshman applications to the school. 

                Abigail Fisher, a white female, claims she is the victim of discrimination from the University, as her application was denied in 2008, presumably because of her race.  The University defends its program of recruiting new students based on their race to promote diversity within its campus.             However, the conflict has escalated to the Supreme Court, and depending on the ruling, status of affirmative action in general hangs on the line.  A federal appeals court upheld Texas’ decision to bias their applications based on race, in accordance with a previous Supreme Court decision in 2003.  However, some of the more conservative members, including Chief Justice Roberts, have expressed an interest in repealing affirmative action. 

                However the ruling against University of Texas turns out, it will have major implications for affirmative action in our schools and workplaces.