Race Factor in Admissions

Re “At a Fork in the Road of Fairness,” Commentary, April 3:

Jerome Karabel, in his otherwise thoughtful article counterposing the latest federal decisions regarding affirmative action, defies logic and clear thinking in his third paragraph.

How can a “truly competitive admissions process” consider race as a factor? Plus or minus. As we move through the extremely difficult process of establishing fairness and merit as standards for admission to our public universities, intellectual honesty must be held as high as any other standard.

FRANK O. CLARK

Santa Monica

* Why bother with affirmative action if race is only one “plus” factor among others, which presumably are the student’s extra-curricular activities that will be considered for admission into the UC system? Students who score higher academically should naturally be given preference over those who don’t. Of course, colleges and universities may exercise their 1st Amendment right to pick and choose their students to achieve diversity, but they must do so without making race an issue.

JOHNNY NG

Westchester