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The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn race-conscious admissions in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC effectively ended affirmative action in higher education. Many Asian Americans supported this decision, believing it would increase their chances of admission by eliminating perceived preferences for Black and Hispanic students.
However, this belief was based on misconceptions about how race factored into admissions. The ruling may instead lead to more white students being admitted while leaving the barriers for Asian applicants largely intact.
Misconception about Black and Hispanic Representation
Some Asian Americans believed that affirmative action had significantly increased the number of Black and Hispanic students at elite universities, reducing spots for other groups. In reality, Black and Hispanic enrollment remains relatively low. Affirmative action was intended to address historical inequalities, not drastically increase the number of minority students. Right-wing groups like Students for Fair Admissions capitalized on this misconception, positioning affirmative action as the biggest obstacle for Asian Americans, while ignoring the entrenched advantages enjoyed by wealthy white students through legacy and donor preferences (NAICU).
Continued white dominance
Even with affirmative action, elite universities remained predominantly white, with white students comprising a large percentage of the student population. The belief that eliminating race-conscious policies would disproportionately benefit Asian students ignored how legacy and donor admissions continue to favor wealthy white applicants. In fact, race-conscious admissions policies only modestly increased diversity and were not the primary reason for the admissions challenges facing Asian Americans.
Anti-Black Sentiment and Weakening Cross-Racial Solidarity
Some Asian Americans’ support for the reversal of affirmative action was shaped by anti-Black sentiment, influenced by the perception that affirmative action unfairly benefited Black and Hispanic students over academically strong Asian applicants. This view was driven by the “model minority” stereotype, positioning Asian Americans as a “successful” minority in contrast to other racial groups, which reinforced divisions.
Proximity to whiteness further complicated these dynamics. Some Asian Americans believed aligning more closely with white identity and distancing themselves from other minority groups could yield more opportunities if affirmative action were dismantled. This belief overlooked the shared struggles among minorities and marginalized groups in combating systemic inequalities.
Rather than fostering cross-racial solidarity to address these common challenges, the reversal of affirmative action has deepened divisions, framing admissions as a zero-sum game. In reality, eliminating affirmative action may perpetuate the very inequities it was meant to address, leaving the privileges of wealth and legacy untouched, and disadvantaging all minorities, including Asian Americans.
Race as a Proxy for Broader Inequality
Affirmative action aimed to address broader inequalities, acknowledging that Black and Hispanic students face structural barriers that impact their educational opportunities. The removal of these policies perpetuates these disparities, disproportionately harming groups that benefited from affirmative action.
Problems for middle-class Asian students
Middle-class Asian students may find themselves in a tough spot, as they don’t fit neatly into either the low-income or wealthy categories. This shift may not create more opportunities for them but instead make competition stiffer, as universities focus on wealth and other non-race-based factors in admissions.
The Reality: More White Students, Fewer Asian Gains
Despite expectations, the elimination of affirmative action has resulted in more white students being admitted to elite universities like Yale, Princeton, and Duke. Enrollment data shows an increase in white students and a decline in Asian enrollment. Legacy and donor preferences continue to offer advantages to wealthy white students, further widening the gap (DotNews).
The role of sports recruitment
Sports recruitment in activities like rowing and fencing, which are dominated by affluent white students, continues to provide admissions advantages. With no racial diversity requirements, universities may admit more students through these programs, reducing the number of available spots for others.
As a result, Asian students may still find themselves competing in an increasingly crowded field, with fewer benefits from the reversal of affirmative action.
Potential Reduction in Diversity Concerns
Without affirmative action, universities may struggle to maintain racially diverse campuses, which has been shown to enhance the educational experience for all students. The removal of these policies could result in fewer Black and Hispanic students, ultimately harming diversity on campus and reducing the richness of perspectives.
Stereotypes and Implicit Biases Remain
Even with affirmative action gone, Asian American students still face challenges due to racial stereotypes and implicit biases, such as the “model minority” stereotype. These biases have influenced subjective assessments in the admissions process, often penalizing Asian applicants in non-academic areas, including the “personality” factor. Subjective ratings for personal qualities have often disadvantaged Asian applicants, who are often viewed as lacking in leadership or creativity, despite their academic achievements(NAICU).
Conclusion: A Miscalculated Victory
For many Asian Americans, the end of affirmative action was seen as a victory. However, this belief may have been a miscalculation. Rather than leveling the playing field, the Supreme Court’s decision has largely reinforced the privileges enjoyed by wealthy white students through legacy and donor preferences.
The removal of race-conscious admissions does little to change the competitive nature of elite university admissions or address the implicit biases that disadvantage Asian students.
Without affirmative action, universities may find it harder to maintain diversity, which could harm Black and Hispanic students without delivering the benefits some Asian Americans hoped for. In the end, white students are likely to benefit the most, leaving many of the challenges in the admissions process unresolved.
