Following the June 23 ruling of the Supreme Court, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor abandoned its controversial point-based undergraduate admissions policy Aug. 28. The policy allocated minority applicants an additional 20 points on a system where a maximum of 150 points were possible.
Under the new policy, race and ethnicity still affect admissions, but to a lesser extent now that admissions reviewers assess each application individually, according to Julie Peterson, director of news and information systems at Michigan.
Peterson said she thinks the new policy will give students a greater opportunity to display their assets to the admissions committee.
\We had a more mechanical system previously and we had to change that,"" she said. ""[Now] every application will have at least two thorough evaluations.""
The new policy names academic achievement the most important aspect of applications. Beyond that, reviewers will consider characteristics and experiences that may have caused setbacks to students, such as race and family circumstances, Peterson said.
According to Peterson, the new system reflects the Michigan law school's admissions procedure, which the Supreme Court upheld.
""We used the law school process as a model because the court pointed out some features in the law school admissions system that were appropriate and constitutional,"" she said.
UW-Madison's admissions policies are similar to Michigan's law school policy as well, according to Provost Peter Spear.
""Minority status is a plus factor, but it doesn't have a specific weight,"" he said. ""We look at lots of different characteristics about students.""
Though the admissions committee at Michigan has just begun implementing the changes, the issue reached its peak in popularity and controversy at the university when the trials were underway, according to Louie Meizlish, editor in chief of The Michigan Daily.
However, a new initiative to completely prohibit race as an admissions factor may create more controversy in the next coming year, according to Meizlish.
Meizlish said Ward Connerly, a regent for the University of California system who successfully spearheaded the same initiative in California, began the movement in Michigan and has already gained numerous supporters in the Michigan state government.
