For Immediate Release
July 15, 2014
Statement from HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores on decision in Fisher college diversity case
San Antonio, TX – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ (HACU) President and CEO Antonio R. Flores has issued the following statement on today’s Appeals Court decision in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case.
“HACU applauds the decision of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, reaffirming once more the appropriate use of race as one of various factors in undergraduate admissions decisions at the University of Texas. The ruling keeps with the best legal and social values of inclusion and diversity to enrich educational outcomes at selective institutions.”
“It is unfortunate that the attorneys representing the plaintiff, Abigail Fisher, apparently intend to appeal today’s ruling. Today’s verdict sends a clear and compelling reaffirmation that diversity is a permissible educational goal and that diversity itself ‘is a composite of the backgrounds, experiences, achievements, and hardships of students to which race only contributes.’ It affirms that the admissions practice of the University of Texas, with its limited use of race and ethnicity considerations along with a range of other dimensions of diversity in its holistic review process, satisfies the strict scrutiny standard demanded by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
HACU is committed to the principle that diversity as well as equity in higher education contributes to the enrichment and learning of all students, especially in the major institutions of higher education in the U.S.
About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) represents more than 450 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America and Spain. For more information, visit www.hacu.net. More information is available at www.hacu.net.
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