Admitted through holistic review based on other

admitted through holistic review based on other factors, including their leadership abilities,
activities, work experience, community service, SAT score and race.” ( SHRM )
Abigail Fisher, who is a white student, that didn’t place in the top 10 percent of her
graduating high school class, was denied admittance to the University of Texas. She sued and
challenged the University of Texas’s policy as unconstitutional relying on race for the additional
25 percent, and that the reason minority rates didn’t rise were because they didn’t allow them to.
The case was broken down into two parts, Fisher I and Fisher II . The reason for this, is because
the case didn’t reach Supreme Court until, 2013, but was sent back to district courts, it reach the
Supreme Court again and was called Fisher II.
Fisher v. University of Texas , No. 14-981. In this case, the Supreme Court sent it back to
the district courts, who ruled in the favor of the university. They stated, “that Texas had
constitutionally considered race, and when the case reached the Supreme Court again, it affirmed
in a decision written by Justice Anthony Kennedy.” ( SHRM ) The Supreme Court stated, that
Fisher I had three controlling principles that allowed them to access the constitutionality of the
University of Texas’ AAP. “Race may not be considered unless the admissions process can
withstand strict scrutiny. Courts will give some, but not complete, deference to the decision to
pursue the educational benefits that flow from student body diversity. A university bears the
burden of proving that an approach that doesn’t take race into consideration at all would fail to

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Human Resources Course Project: Affirmative Action
promote its interests in diversity, such as the need to prepare students for an increasingly diverse
workforce and society.” ( SHRM )
The University of Texas, before changing their policy to make race a limited factor in
their admissions, claimed that the use of race-neutral policies was not successful in achieving
diversity. The minority rates from 1996 to 2003 had only increased by 1 student for enrolling. By
them changing their policy, and adding that race was a limited factor, diversity in enrollment
increased by 54 percent for Hispanics, and 94% in African Americans over a 10-year period. The
University showed that their policy improved diversity in applications and the student body.
Universities and employers have a huge roll in our society for increasing diversity in the
working and educational society. Even though AAP are strict in employment, they remain a bit
laxed for universities. In some cases, such as the University of Texas, having race as a limiting
factor increased diversity within their freshman classes. But does this mean that this is effective
in all universities?