Boston College has matriculated its first class where race was a deciding factor in its admission choices. The new process is the university’s attempt to admit populations of minorities proportional to their representation in America as a whole.

John Mahoney, director of admissions at BC, linked the role of affirmative action to the University’s founding principles. “BC was founded as an institution to respond to an immigrant population which had been discriminated against and denied educational opportunity," he said.

Senior John Reynolds, co-director of Foundation for the Analysis of Conflict, Ethnic and Social (FACES), said the main contestation in affirmative action policy arises from a fundamental misunderstanding of it.

"The truth is, there are more qualified candidates applying than there are spots," Reynolds said. "So schools have to consider factors outside of scores for equally or similarly qualified candidates. They must look at race, class, and gender."

Reynolds discussed the “misconception” of the quota system, the idea that schools are forced to accept less qualified candidates to meet a minority quota. He explained such a practice cannot take place under affirmative action guidelines.

To further analyze the role of affirmative action both on and off campus, Reynolds said that FACES is planning on holding events to discuss the topic. "All people have a voice in this discussion," Reynolds said. "We are hoping for a sustained discussion over the year."


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