The Use of Potentially Discriminatory Questions on College Applications in the Southern United States

It may be argued that the questions on the application forms are there in order to gain a complete picture of the candidate or for the purposes of general data, and that the answers to these questions are not considered in making a decision regarding the candidate's eligibility to enter the school. Unfortunately, the position of schools throughout the Old South regarding the admission of Negroes to formerly all-white schools would tend to discountenance this argument. It was further discredited as far back as 1947 in the report issued by the President's Commission on Higher Education, entitled, Higher Education for American Democracy. This report said, in part, Discrimination in admission of college students because of an individual's race, creed, color, sex, national origin, or ancestory is an anti-democratic practice which creates serious inequalities in the opportunity for higher education.1 The Commission went on record as unequivocally recommending, . . . the removal from application forms of all questions pertaining to religion, color, and national or racial origin.2 In describing the function of such questions the Commission said, . . . it can almost be said that the request for certain information on application forms constitutes an all but prima facie case that such information is likely to be used for discriminatory purposes.3

Political science · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Psychology · Race, History, and American Society