    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [January 15, 2003]
    [Pages 56-57]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Michigan Affirmative Action Case
    January 15, 2003

        The Supreme Court will soon hear arguments in a case about
    admissions policies and student diversity in public universities. I
    strongly support diversity of all kinds, including racial diversity in
    higher education. But the method used by the University of Michigan to
    achieve this important goal is fundamentally flawed.
        At their core, the Michigan policies amount to a quota system that
    unfairly rewards or penalizes prospective students, based solely on
    their race. So tomorrow my administration will file a brief with the
    Court arguing that the University of Michigan's admissions policies,
    which award students a significant number of extra points based solely
    on their race and establishes numerical targets for incoming minority
    students, are unconstitutional.
        Our Constitution makes it clear that people of all races must be
    treated equally under the law. Yet we know that our society has not
    fully achieved that ideal. Racial prejudice is a reality in America. It
    hurts many of our citizens. As a nation, as a government, and as
    individuals, we must be vigilant in responding to prejudice wherever we
    find it. Yet, as we work to address the wrong of racial prejudice, we
    must not use means that create another wrong and thus perpetuate our
    divisions.
        America is a diverse country, racially, economically, and
    ethnically. And our institutions of higher education should reflect our
    diversity. A college education should teach respect and understanding
    and good will. And these values are strengthened when students live and
    learn with people from many backgrounds. Yet quota systems that use race
    to include or exclude people from higher education and the opportunities
    it offers are divisive, unfair, and impossible to square with the
    Constitution.
        In the programs under review by the Supreme Court, the University of
    Michigan has established an admissions process based on race. At the
    undergraduate level, African American students and some Hispanic
    students and Native American students receive 20 points out of a maximum
    of 150, not because of any academic achievement or life experience but
    solely because they are African American, Hispanic, or Native American.
        To put this in perspective, a perfect SAT score is worth only 12
    points in the Michigan system. Students who accumulate 100 points are
    generally admitted, so those 20 points awarded solely based on race are
    often the decisive factor.

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        At the law school, some minority students are admitted to meet
    percentage targets, while other applicants with higher grades and better
    scores are passed over. This means that students are being selected or
    rejected based primarily on the color of their skin. The motivation for
    such an admissions policy may be very good, but its result is
    discrimination, and that discrimination is wrong.
        Some States are using innovative ways to diversify their student
    bodies. Recent history has proven that diversity can be achieved without
    using quotas. Systems in California and Florida and Texas have proven
    that by guaranteeing admissions to the top students from high schools
    throughout the State, including low-income neighborhoods, colleges can
    attain broad racial diversity. In these States, race-neutral admissions
    policies have resulted in levels of minority attendance for incoming
    students that are close to and in some instances slightly surpass those
    under the old race-based approach.
        We should not be satisfied with the current numbers of minorities on
    Americans' college campuses. Much progress has been made. Much more is
    needed. University officials have the responsibility and the obligation
    to make a serious, effective effort to reach out to students from all
    walks of life without falling back on unconstitutional quotas. Schools
    should seek diversity by considering a broad range of factors in
    admissions, including a student's potential and life experiences.
        Our Government must work to make college more affordable for
    students who come from economically disadvantaged homes. And because
    we're committed to racial justice, we must make sure that America's
    public schools offer a quality education to every child from every
    background, which is the central purpose of the education reforms I
    signed last year.
        America's long experience with the segregation we have put behind us
    and the racial discrimination we still struggle to overcome requires a
    special effort to make real the promise of equal opportunity for all. My
    administration will continue to actively promote diversity and
    opportunity in every way that the law permits.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:30 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to two related cases before the
    Supreme Court, Barbara Grutter, Petitioner v. Lee Bollinger, et al and
    Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacker, Petitioners v. Lee Bollinger, et
    al. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of these remarks.