Students were surprised and puzzled over the charges posed by the Center for Individual Rights that the College's admission policy is acting in violation of affirmative action laws.
A full-page advertisement by the Washington-based conservative public policy firm ran in dozens of college newspapers nationwide on Tuesday, including The Dartmouth, alleging "nearly every elite college in America" practices illegal racial preferences in admissions.
Although many students admitted they did not know the exact details of the College's admission process, most of the student interviewed by The Dartmouth seemed wary of the group and its propaganda-type campaign.
Adam Bisig '98 expressed faith in the role he said he believes race plays in admissions. "Priority should be given to minority students -- [the admissions process] shouldn't necessarily be race-blind," he said.
Bisig said he believes ethnicity is only one of many factors involved in college acceptance decisions. "I think it's okay if race is a part of the admissions process as a fact among many."
"It was clear the ad was coming from a pretty biased group," Beth Westman '99 said. "I thought it was not really professional. It didn't really explain how the colleges were violating the policy."
Westman said she felt the article printed in yesterday's issue of The Dartmouth cleared up concerns over what she described as a one-sided advertisement.
The comments made by College President James Wright in yesterday's issue of The Dartmouth about the emphasis on developing diversity in the student body spelled out the efforts by the admissions office, she said.
Peter Augello '02 cited his knowledge of the 1978 Supreme Court decision of the University of California Reagents v. Bakke -- a major court case involving the constitutionality of racial quotas in admissions.
"I thought that the court case declared that you couldn't put quotas on it," he said, making the distinction between a quota policy and using race as a factor in admissions. "That's my knowledge of it."
Peter Augello '02 said he didn't feel it was illegal or wrong for the College to try to create diversity.
