Should race be considered in admissions processes?

President Obama is encouraging schools to find loopholes and go around the laws against affirmative action.  Because it is illegal to consider race in college admissions, Obama urges schools to find other ways to do exactly the same thing, but calling it something else. 

In the past months, debate has been stirred about legislation that would allow universities to consider race in admissions.  Noted stances against the legislation included a "racist" bake sale at UC Berkeley, in order to showcase how the legislation would separate students by race in admissions.  Fortunately, the legislation was not accepted in California.

However, President Obama encourages schools to find ways around this law.  Obama suggests that schools get creative in finding ways to use race as a consideration, suggesting schools use other criteria to achieve the same goal. 

Suggestions include considering students' socioeconomic status, residential instability, and the hardships that students have had to overcome, using these as substitutes for race because these criteria usually pertain more to certain races.

Also an option in going around the law would be for colleges to select "high schools for partnership" based on the "racial composition of the school's student body," as a way to bring more members of certain races into the school.   

This advice from Obama that encourages the universities to find the wiggle room within the law is aimed at "increasing diversity" said Obama. 

However, separating students by race as a means of determining college admissions is unfair to the students, because it leaves a determining factor of their admission into colleges completely out of their hands.  All the hard work and preparation that is done for college can rest on something that there is no control over for students.

Students with the exact same qualifications will be left to compete against each other for admissions based on which one will increase the schools diversity, rather than more relevant factors based on merit, or an equal chance for all. 

To take a step backwards and consider segregating students admissions applications by race, students of the same race would be left competing against students of that same race, rather than competing against all students, regardless of race of socioeconomic status, for admissions.

The advice Obama for schools to work their way around the law would only set back the success of more academically qualified students, no matter what background they come from. 

Whether you call it "getting creative" or blatant disregard for the law, the consideration of race in admissions is unfair, as race is something that is not earned or achieved and therefore cannot be controlled by the applicant.