Pending admissions case has counselors unfazed

Boston Globe ^ | 3/2/2003 | By Ben Casselman, Globe Correspondent

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As politicians and advocacy groups line up on either side of the affirmative action issue in advance of an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on race-based college admissions policies, one group appears not to be concerned: high school guidance counselors.

By the time this year's high school juniors begin applying to college next fall, current admissions policies may be changed.

Early this summer, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on two challenges to race-based admissions policies at the University of Michigan. If the court rules that Michigan's policies are unconstitutional, colleges and universities around the country could be forced to eliminate or drastically rewrite decades-old affirmative action policies.

But the mood is decidedly calm at many high schools in the Boston area. Though almost all guidance counselors expressed hope that the court would rule in favor of Michigan, most said they were confident that colleges would be able to maintain diverse student bodies, even if the court rules against race-based admissions policies.

''Institutions will be able to make decisions that will serve their needs,'' said Veda Robinson, director of college guidance at the Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge. ''They will still continue to make preferential decisions based on certain categories.''

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Perhaps this piece shows why political actions in addition to judicial mandates, are needed to end race preferences.

Cheers,

Richard F.

[First_Salute]

You of course mean, "to end government-imposd race preferences"?