TO THE EDITOR:
A tremendous scandal has come to light and — after years of wrongdoing — the University has a chance to lead in creating a more just future. A lawsuit filed Nov. 17 against the University for discriminating against European and Asian students on the basis of race calls attention to the admission policy which for years has used identification with a certain race as a positive trait in determining admission.
This policy violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, perpetuates institutional discrimination and elevates the toxic and flawed concept of race in North Carolina. Nevertheless, many have argued that the history of discrimination at UNC — as well as the continued under-representation of African-American and Hispanic minorities — makes racially discriminatory policies necessary.
While these are legitimate concerns, I question the justice (and intelligence) of fighting historical discrimination by continuing to make the history of North Carolina in the 21st century one of, well, discrimination. A better path is an admissions policy which takes into account the socio-economic background and personal story of each applicant regardless of racial identification.
William Parker
Sophomore
History
