Supreme Court ruling on diversity shouldn’t impact Iowa schools

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld the University of Michigan’s “affirmative action” policy for entrance to Michigan’s law school, but it struck down a point system used by the school that gives preference to minorities who apply for undergrad courses. University of Iowa president David Skorton is ordering a review of the U-of-I’s admissions policies.Skorton says as far as he knows, the university’s policies do not include set-asides, quotas or a point system, but he will conduct a “quick, expeditious review” to see if any changes are needed. Skorton says he thinks all of the efforts toward diversity have been positive for Iowa City and the university. He says he’s “delighted” the nation’s high court’s ruling will allow universities to continue to consider race as one factor among many in admissions. Officials at many of the state’s other colleges and universities say they’ll also review their admissions policies to ensure they fit within the parameters laid out by the Supreme Court ruling. Former University of Iowa president Mary Sue Coleman recently took over as President at the University of Michigan, and she has staunchly defended the school’s affirmative action policy. The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled the Michigan law school’s “narrowly tailored” use of race in the application process was o-k, but it ruled the way the undergrad school used a point system for entrance wasn’t the right way to achieve racial diversity on campus.