A critique of affirmative action with Richard Sander

In the fifth episode of the affirmative action series, Elise and Hannah spoke with Professor Richard Sander of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law about his perspective on the detrimental effects of racial preferences in higher education. They also discussed the importance of considering and evaluating empirical evidence related to affirmative action, and what he noticed at the Supreme Court's oral arguments on Oct. 31. Professor Sander has written extensively on the issue of race conscious policies, especially in the University of California higher education system, and began his career studying housing segregation.

We hope this conversation will shed light on arguments in opposition to affirmative action and foster substantive debate and discussion on such a contentious topic. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Fisher v. University of Texas (2013) 

Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2016)

California Proposition 209, Affirmative Action Initiative (1996)

Further reading:

The Harvard Crimson: "Harvard's Donor and Legacy Preferences Come Under Fire at Supreme Court Oral Arguments"

Inside Higher Ed: "U of California gets more diverse without SATs"

Ed Source: "Students at California's top-tier universities don't reflect state's racial and ethnic diversity, says Urban Institute study"