University President John J. DeGioia strongly stated Georgetown’s commitment to affirmative action in a speech delivered Tuesday evening in Gaston Hall, calling the policy “critical to achieving our educational mission.”
The Supreme Court of the United States is currently examining affirmative action in public universities. In March, the Court will begin hearing oral arguments in two cases involving the University of Michigan. It is expected to hand down decisions in June. The court could potentially overturn its 1978 decision to support the right of public institutions to consider race in their admissions policies.
DeGioia was emphatic about the University’s support for the Michigan policy, announcing Georgetown’s decision to file an amicus brief, a document that gives Georgetown’s position on the case, even though it is not one of the parties.
In his speech, the President identified and responded to several criticisms of affirmative action, and discussed how the University’s admissions policy is designed to reflect its commitment to merit-based admissions. He ended by asking whether the public discourse on affirmative action needs to be redefined around “the demands of justice as opposed to the benefits of diversity.”
In the event that the Supreme Court rules against the University of Michigan, Georgetown1s affirmative action policy could be restricted. While affirmative action at public universities is a 14th Amendment issue, the policies of private institutions that receive federal assistance are limited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. According to University Counsel Jane Genster, the courts have tended to interpret the 14th Amendment and Title VI “very similarly.”
Several panel speakers echoed DeGioia1s remarks, including Cherise Williams (CAS ‘05), Eduardo Ferrer (LAW ‘05), Georgetown Law Center Professor Elizabeth Patterson and men1s basketball Head Coach Emeritus John Thompson.
According to Patterson, Law Center Dean Judith Areen also filed a brief with the Supreme Court on one of the Michigan cases. Patterson emphasized the Law Center’s success at recruiting minority students, and articulated the need for more minority law faculty.
Williams and Ferrer both spoke on the educational merits of affirmative action. While discussing the benefits of diversity in terms of his own experiences, Ferrer, who is Cuban-American, briefly switched to Spanish.
Thompson, the next speaker, quipped that Ferrer wasn’t the panel’s only multilingual participant. “I speak English and profanity very well,” he said.
Thompson went on to emphasize the need to educate Georgetown faculty about diversity, in addition to maintaining affirmative action in admissions.
