In order to clarify its position on a controversial case before the United States Supreme Court, Syracuse University has filed a brief detailing where it stands.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two cases contending that the University of Michigan’s affirmative action admissions policies are unconstitutional. The cases, which challenge whether Michigan should be allowed to take race into consideration when admitting students to its undergraduate university and law school, are set to be heard in early April and a decision is expected in June.

Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw announced last week that SU will join other universities around the country in submitting an amicus curie (friend of the court) brief supporting Michigan’s affirmative action policies.

The briefs will help to provide the court with a perspective on why universities feel diversity is important and how it enriches the lives of students who attend the various schools, said Richard Ellison, a professor in the College of Law. Justices are given a chance to read the briefs but it is unknown how much weight they carry.

These kinds of briefs are common in controversial cases where institutions or people want to be on the record either supporting a case or being against it, Ellison added.

“By (Shaw) saying SU is going to join in this brief it shows he has a true understanding that for students to be prepared for the workforce, they need exposure to people with different experiences not only in race but in gender as well,” said Cynthia Fulford, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

It is important in the workforce and in leadership positions for people to have worked with others who have different views about things, and group projects in universities that are diverse afford students this opportunity, Fulford added. Students need to be exposed to people who are different from themselves because of the population continually diversifying. Students who do not interact with a diverse student body will not be prepared for the world, she said.

“This is about good, effective, well-trained future leaders,” Fulford said.

Marcus Nathaniel, the president of the African American Male Congress at SU, said people from diverse backgrounds bring a different perspective to dialogue in the classroom and make it more of a learning experience for those who have had different experiences.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover. You have to give someone a chance to excel and many times they will excel,” said Nathaniel, a senior information management and technology major.

Diversity is one of the core values at SU and allows students to gain knowledge they otherwise would have never been able to learn, he added.

“Once you are in this institution it is up you to make contacts,” Nathaniel said. “There is so much we can learn from one another.”

Published on February 9, 2003 at 12:00 pm