Here & Now

UW-Madison Chancellor Responds to Affirmative Action Ruling

Frederica Freyberg:

The U.S. Supreme Court this week called affirmative action or consideration of a person’s race in college admissions unconstitutional for violating the equal protection clause. Affirmative action policies have existed since the 1960s and consider a person’s minority race status to help counteract historical inequality and discrimination. The UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin released a statement saying, “The ruling will require some modifications to aspects of our current admissions practices; we will, of course, adapt our practices to comply with the law. At the same time, I want to reiterate that our commitment to the value of diversity within our community, including racial diversity, remains a bedrock value of the institution.”