Berkeley leaders, scholars react to Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action

After voters in 1996 banned the use of race-based admissions in California universities, UC Berkeley became a pioneer in efforts to build a diverse campus community without the benefit of affirmative action. Chancellor Carol Christ and several other top UC Berkeley officials say the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling today, that public and private universities cannot use race as a factor in admitting students, is regrettable. They warned the decision will reduce opportunities for people of color and thwart the nation's progress toward racial equality. "Students learn more alongside students who have different beliefs, who have different experiences or identities than they do," Christ said. "Study after study shows that diverse teams and communities excel at innovation, discovery and creativity, values we embrace at Berkeley." In its 6-3 decision , the court concluded that such affirmative action violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The ruling, with the court's conservative justices in the majority, prohibits practices that have been employed for a half-century in higher education and reverses decades of legal precedent. In California, UC Berkeley and other public colleges and universities have been prohibited from considering race in admissions since 1996, when voters approved Proposition 209 .