Summary Access to higher education is something that has evolved over time.

Historically higher education institutions were for the elite upper class to train in the classics and other subjects to be as worldly as possible. Some may argue that higher education accessibility is still something for the privileged few who can afford to prepare for the admission process as well as the cost of attendance. Race has always been a controversial aspect in the discussion of higher education access but also in admissions. In Affirmative on Affirmative Action, Alexandra Tilsley (2012) discusses the multiple cases in which universities have been taken to court based on their policies involving the consideration of race in the admission process. One of the cases discussed in this article highlights the Fisher v. University of Texas case in which Abigail Fisher, who was rejected from the University of Texas at Austin. In her lawsuit against the university, Fisher asserts that the universitys use of race in its admissions decisions is unconstitutional (Tilsley, 2012). There have been cases in the past that set the precedence for universities to consider race in the admission process. In the most recent case challenging the use of affirmative action in college admissions, the Supreme Court decided that the University of Michigans law school, the defendant, did have a narrowly tailored policy designed to address a compelling government interest, and so was allowed to consider race in admissions. Diversity on campus, the court ruled, was of critical importance, and as long as the schools admissions policy considered race as one of many aspects of a students application, without quotas or hard-line decisions based strictly on race, the process was constitutional. (Tilsley, 2012) The precedent Fisher is trying to establish in her case against the University of Texas is that because of the policy in Texas allow the top 10 percent of each high school to be guaranteed admission into the public universities. Those in favor of the plaintiff in this cases support the

argument that the 10 percent policy provides the university adequate means of creating a diverse student body. However, a large majority of academics argue that Race-blind admissions policies would harm students from all racial and ethnic groups (Tilsley, 2012). Critical Reaction This article clearly describes the issue of the use of affirmative action in the admission process in current cases going to the Supreme Court. I personally tend to agree with the research conducted by the American Education Research Association which finds that affirmative action is imperative to universities trying to create a diverse student body. However, this article does not discuss the many different types of diversity such as gender, socioeconomic status, religion, geography, and sexual preference. Affirmative on Affirmative Action, Alexandra Tilsley (2012) also does not provide a great deal of information on the research conducted in favor of Abigail Fisher in the Fisher v. University of Texas case. I did appreciate that Tilsley (2012) provides a different perspective on the negative aspect of affirmative action which is controversial to discuss. Implication As admission policies always seem to up for debate, it is interesting to read an article in which both sides of a controversial issue such as affirmative action are discussed. As an admission counselor, I always try to research the newest trends in what peer institutions are using for creating their freshman class. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Fisher in this case, it would radically change how my institution reviews files and what we consider as factors in the admission process. References Tilsley, A. (2012). Affirmative on Affirmative Action. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/09/28/social-scientists-defend-affirmativeaction-fisher-v-university-texas