with Associate Provost Fred Siegel

On April 1, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a lawsuit alleging that the University of Michigan's admissions system unfairly rewards or penalizes students based on race. The case has sparked a national debate about whether and, if so, the acceptable way to make diversity part of the admissions equation.

Colleges and universities have a responsibility to consider a broad range of factors in admissions, including a student's potential and life experiences, Associate Provost Frederic Siegel says. He explains how the University of Delaware's admissions process works.

Q: Is diversity an end in itself?

A: If diversity is used in such a way that it ?doesn't only reflect race, then yes. My obligation is to recruit a freshman class that represents a variety of backgrounds and cultures and thus helps educational enrichment. If you take the narrower meaning of diversity that says we need a specific quota of people from any given race at any given time, then diversity is never an end in itself.

Our educational community would be greatly diminished if UD students were all of one race. It is important that our students interact with persons different from themselves and without that we would lose something terrific.

We look at everything in context at UD and believe wholeheartedly that sculpting a freshman class from a variety of backgrounds is educationally enriching. We want people from cities, rural areas, neighboring states, from Florida and Wyoming, people from different cultures, religions and ethnic groups.

The Bakke decision of 1978 says clearly that race can be a factor, just not the factor as you are making a decision.

Diversity on every level strengthens the classrooms, the residence halls, the off-campus experience, every part of college life.

Q: Does UD use a system that gives preference to minority applicants?

A: We consider race as one of many factors. We look at race to see how it may have created a disadvantage for applicants. The color of one's skin has very little to do with someone's academic success, but race in America has certainly resulted in disadvantages to a number of people.

An African-American student from inner-city Philadelphia, Baltimore or D.C. probably attended a school that provided fewer opportunities, that had less-qualified teachers. And, where an admissions officer's view of that is different from another citizen or politician is that most people don't visit hundreds and hundreds of high schools over the course of their career as admissions people do.

It's fairly obvious to people in our profession that there are huge disparities as you go from school to school. So, in that respect, race is not so much a factor as the environment from which a student has come.

If you take an Asian-American student from the Bronx, an Hispanic student from Dover and an African-American student from D.C., it's very possible that the advantages that produce high SAT scores were not available to them. That's what we're looking at.

Q: Is UD's system in any way similar to the University of Michigan's?

A: Not at all. Michigan wound up in court four years ago because of the allegation that it has an absolute formula--a process that employs different grids for non-black and black applicants. That's clearly what sparked the controversy. Even though Michigan was ordered to do away with the grid system, it still has a formula for admissions that relies on a point system. Since it's possible to give a candidate an additional 20 points for race, it can make race the deciding factor in admissions there.

A point system locks you in. Forget points for race for a minute. What if a student has an exceptionally good essay but you can't exceed the points that are to be awarded for the essay? Granted, most essays are fairly average and usually aren't the deciding factor. But, in every 200-300 essays, an admissions officer reads, he or she may find one that pops out, one that shouts, "Hey this is a really talented, creative individual." Who would want that one essay limited by a point system?

The system we use at UD allows what we think is the most important factor in an individual's application to come to the fore and help that person. What if someone is a great bassoonist and was first chair in the all-state orchestra? Maybe the music department has told us they need a bassoonist that year, and that might be the deciding factor.

From the athletic fields to the music room, we are looking to bring people here who will enrich the life of the campus. To do that, we can't be hamstrung by a rigid way of looking at things. Our system allows the facts of an application to flow freely and allows us to take into account the strengths of the applicants wherever they lay.

Q: Are there other kinds of preferences, such as geographic factors or being children of alumni, that play a part in admissions decisions?

A: All factors are important. A student from Wyoming we would see as slightly more exciting because of the exposure that student could give the majority of our students to seeing the world differently. A student from another geographic location can bring a different world view to classroom discussions and to late-night discussions in the residence halls. They would, of course, have to be students who can make it here. We still only offer spots to 35 percent of the nonresidents who apply, and we have the luxury of ?? considering the top of the many, many qualified people who want to come to UD.

As far as children of alumni go? Sure, that makes us feel good to see someone want to carry on a family legacy. We're proud of that. But again, the student has to be someone who has special abilities and the potential to compete successfully in academics.

Q: What portion of the current freshman class is made up of minority students? Is that proportion changing?

A: About 13 percent. We are receiving more and more applications from students of color as our entire process becomes increasingly selective. There are more students of color here than there were earlier, and we are very proud that the University ranks fifth among all state-assisted institutions in graduation rates for African-American students. Our goal and our demand is that our campus is welcoming and attractive to an increasingly diverse set of students. We have demonstrated that the University of Delaware can have an increasingly diverse population and high graduation rates without a quota system.

Has the portion of students from Delaware being admitted decreased because of affirmative action policies or the large number of applicants from out of state?

No. I can't stress enough that every qualified Delaware resident who applies is admitted. No one from Delaware is competing for a limited number of spaces in any freshman class. We want to absolutely assure people that we admit every Delaware student whom we think predicts success.

Q: So, is the admissions process subjective?

A: An admissions office that can be highly selective is always looking to craft a class with a broad spectrum of applicants. It is, by nature, a subjective process and to suggest that someone could read 22,000 applications and do a perfect job every time is unlikely.

There can be errors made in what we do. But, we are entirely confident that our process is fairer and results in a better class than could be produced using formulas, computer selection or quotas.

BETH THOMAS