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Minority law school enrollment declines
Sophia Ahmad
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: News
A new website created by the Society of American Law Schools in conjunction with Lawyering in the Digital Age Clinic at the Columbia University School of Law documents an alarming decline in the number of African-American and Mexican-American matriculates in the nation's law schools.
According to Columbia's website, www2.law.columbia.edu/civilrights, African-Americans and Mexican-Americans are being underrepresented in the country's law schools. The site showcases comprehensive graphs and charts and a summary of the best legal practices with regard to the "equal protection clause" of the 14th amendment to support this assertion.
The site is intended to raise awareness to the performance of minority students, namely those of Mexican-American and African-American backgrounds, on the LSATs and as undergraduates.
For over 15 years, American applicants of both Mexican and African descent have demonstrated steady increases in their LSAT scores, as well as their undergraduate grade point averages, referred to as UGPAs.
Fall 2006 marks the peak of achievement for both groups in the areas of LSAT scores and UGPAs. The average LSAT score for African-Americans was 143.8 and 150 for Mexican-Americans, out of a possible 180.
Although the LSATs and UGPAs of law school applicants are not the only factors that constitute admissions decisions, they hold a considerable amount of weight, regardless of the university that the candidate applies to.
The site affirms the fact that measures should be taken to ensure that members of both ethnic groups are given a chance to enroll and pursue careers in law and beyond. The proliferation of law schools around the country has not aided African-American and Mexican-American enrollment in America's law schools.
Between 1992 and 2006, 19 new American Bar Association-accredited schools were created. However, the increase in law schools has not increased the number of applicants from either minority group. Instead, the enrollment of each group in law school since 1992 has steadily decreased about 9 percent.
These statistics leave many with questions as to why admission to law school for members of the two groups is not made easy. The universal issue is of equality, and not diversity, under the law. For those of different backgrounds with qualifying scores and UGPAs, admission is relatively fair.
The Supreme Court has examined a case of affirmative action. The website alludes to the most relevant case which is that of Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, in which a white applicant claimed he was denied admission to the University of Michigan due to the policy.
The Supreme Court ruled that race plays an important role in promoting higher education diversity, which therefore helps society at large.
According to Columbia's website, www2.law.columbia.edu/civilrights, African-Americans and Mexican-Americans are being underrepresented in the country's law schools. The site showcases comprehensive graphs and charts and a summary of the best legal practices with regard to the "equal protection clause" of the 14th amendment to support this assertion.
The site is intended to raise awareness to the performance of minority students, namely those of Mexican-American and African-American backgrounds, on the LSATs and as undergraduates.
For over 15 years, American applicants of both Mexican and African descent have demonstrated steady increases in their LSAT scores, as well as their undergraduate grade point averages, referred to as UGPAs.
Fall 2006 marks the peak of achievement for both groups in the areas of LSAT scores and UGPAs. The average LSAT score for African-Americans was 143.8 and 150 for Mexican-Americans, out of a possible 180.
Although the LSATs and UGPAs of law school applicants are not the only factors that constitute admissions decisions, they hold a considerable amount of weight, regardless of the university that the candidate applies to.
The site affirms the fact that measures should be taken to ensure that members of both ethnic groups are given a chance to enroll and pursue careers in law and beyond. The proliferation of law schools around the country has not aided African-American and Mexican-American enrollment in America's law schools.
Between 1992 and 2006, 19 new American Bar Association-accredited schools were created. However, the increase in law schools has not increased the number of applicants from either minority group. Instead, the enrollment of each group in law school since 1992 has steadily decreased about 9 percent.
These statistics leave many with questions as to why admission to law school for members of the two groups is not made easy. The universal issue is of equality, and not diversity, under the law. For those of different backgrounds with qualifying scores and UGPAs, admission is relatively fair.
The Supreme Court has examined a case of affirmative action. The website alludes to the most relevant case which is that of Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, in which a white applicant claimed he was denied admission to the University of Michigan due to the policy.
The Supreme Court ruled that race plays an important role in promoting higher education diversity, which therefore helps society at large.
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