There's growing support for a Department of Justice investigation into race-based college admittance procedures similar to the one used by the University of Texas, which was upheld by the Supreme Court., News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"In today's modern, multi-racial society that we live in, race is not a very useful way to sort us, and it perpetuates these classifications by treating people differently," Texas attorney Cory Liu tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
He's the volunteer executive director of the Students for Fair Admissions, which is currently involved in a new lawsuit against the University of Texas, which is challenging the use of affirmative action to give a boost to black and Hispanic applicants.
They argue that it violates the Texas Constitution's Equal Rights amendment, which discrimination based on sex, race, color, creed or national origin.
"Is race really the best proxy for how much hardship you have had to overcome," Liu asks.
Last week, a document obtained by The New York Times unveiled a new DOJ project on “investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions.”
Liu argues that many families these days include parents of mixed races, which shows how affirmative action falls short of leveling the playing field.
"Someone can be both Hispanic and Asian, right? Do they get the penalty for being Asian, making it harder to get in, or do they get the boost from being Hispanic?"
If colleges and universities want a diverse student body, he says they should focus more on recruiting students who come from different economic backgrounds through the use of scholarships rather than focusing on race, he said.