Ensuring Equal Opportunities: An Alternative to Affirmative Action in College Admissions

A common criticism of affirmative action policies is that they do not ensure equal opportunities for all. Instead of providing a fair playing field for all students, these policies often favor certain groups, potentially undermining true equality. It's important to question the underlying assumptions about equal opportunity and diversity, as these concepts may not always align with merit and fairness.

David Lewis offers a compelling analysis: promoting diversity is not synonymous with ensuring equal opportunity. As research shows, the real issue lies in the unequal efforts and performance rather than unequal opportunities. Justice in terms of opportunities can only be achieved by improving the school education system, especially at the primary and secondary levels, where disparities often begin.

Data-Driven School Evaluation

Access to detailed demographic and performance data is widely available. School transcripts from the Indian education system capture all this information, making it possible to evaluate applicants based on their academic performance and potential. This data-driven approach can help ensure a more level playing field by eliminating subjective factors such as race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The most fair method would be to be completely blind to student demographics, focusing only on the merit and scores presented in the application.

The Merit-Based Alternative

Value judgments about merit versus diversity need to be critically examined. Would anyone truly argue that a “diverse” doctor is better equipped to treat a broken arm than the best doctor? Or that a “diverse” engineer can design a safer bridge than the best engineer? While diversity is important, it should not come at the expense of academic merit.

Policy Recommendations for Admission

Universities could set forth a clear and unambiguous commitment to merit-based admissions, taking a systematic, aggressive, and comprehensive approach. This would involve:

Declaring a commitment to merit: Universities should publicly state that their admissions policies are based solely on merit, without any prejudice or favoritism towards race, creed, gender, politics, citizenship, immigration status, age, disabilities, or country of origin. Measuring merit: Define and publish exactly how merit will be measured, including academic, cultural, social, and extra-curricular activities that will be considered in the selection process. Commitment enforcement: Universities must support and apply these policies comprehensively. If they fall short, their reputation will suffer, and it may lead to a loss of trust and credibility.

To further strengthen this policy, applications could also be anonymized. Students' names, race, creed, gender, politics, citizenship, immigration status, age, disabilities, and country of origin would be removed from the application process. Each applicant would receive a secret, unique application number, and the selection committee would evaluate the applications without any prejudiced information. This would eliminate other considerations such as heritage, wealth, or other biases.

In conclusion, the pursuit of equal opportunity must involve a commitment to merit and fairness. By focusing on data-driven, transparent, and merit-based admissions policies, universities can ensure that all students have a fair chance to succeed, regardless of their background or personal characteristics.