Two days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court held affirmative action – programs that take race into… Two days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court held affirmative action – programs that take race into account as a consideration, but not a deciding factor, in college admissions – to be constitutional.

In a 5-4 judgment, the Supreme Court ruled that the University of Michigan law school could continue such a program. In a related case concerning UMich’s undergrad program, the Supreme Court decided that point systems were unconstitutional. UMich had a system that automatically awarded black students 20 points out of the 100 necessary for admission.

Colleges should be allowed to favor certain factors, including those beyond the applicant’s control. Affirmative action, as part of a thorough review of applications, can work to promote racial – as well as geographic and economic – diversity.

The admissions process, when dealing with qualities that cannot be quantified, should not be mechanized. Given the overall increase in college and graduate applications, time needs to be allotted to review all applicants – beyond their test scores and grades.

Admissions should be based not on what applicants have done, but on what applicants might do. Universities should not dissociate numbers from people, forgetting that they are admitting students and not statistics.

Affirmative action seeks to fix disparities in opportunities. That said, it should be a finite program, one that becomes unnecessary as other areas of the education system are fixed. This reflects that true change takes generations, and that measures must be taken to remedy current inequalities.

Racial inequality is not solely an issue facing higher education, though colleges seem to draw the most fire. Addressing this, Pitt filed a friend-of-the-court brief affirming that diversity should be a priority. In a press release, Pitt commended the decision, calling diversity “a crucial component of a premier education.”

Pitt can benefit from the confirmation of affirmative action. The law school and the undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences both hover around 15 percent minorities, according to a Fall 2002 head count. Though these numbers do not reflect local minority percentages, Pitt should dedicate itself to making their admissions process as equitable as possible.

Affirmative action acts as a means to get the desired end: a diverse and interesting student body.