To the Editor:
I am writing concerning Dave Hemmer's column entitled "Race Should Have No Place in Dartmouth Admissions" [Feb. 6] I found his argument quite compelling, and at the very least, its title a call-to-arms.
I would like only to add that the meritocracy Hemmer speaks of, as well as race-blind admissions in general, may in fact be closer at hand than one may presently estimate. Recently, the Regents of the University of California, with the gentle prodding of Governor Pete Wilson, removed from their application and admissions process the race factor. Ironically, this is the same Board of Regents that brought race-based admissions into vogue and fought so vigorously to sustain it as a matter of law in the 1970s. A bellwether decision for the 1990s and beyond? Perhaps so.
Admittedly, there was a time and a place for race-based favoritism in the college admissions process. This nation's record of "equal protection under the law is less than noteworthy, and institutions of higher education were a convenient locus to start anew. However, as a society, we must continue to evolve and recognize when enough is enough. If the University of California found the strength to shed the preferential admissions crutch, surely Dartmouth, in all her power, influence, prestige, and glory, can do the same.
