ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

University of Texas at Austin admissions controversy

Okay, imagine you want to go to a really cool school where you can learn lots of things and have fun with your friends. This school is called the University of Texas at Austin. But uh-oh, there's a problem that some people aren't happy about. Let me explain it to you in a simple way.

At this school, they have a process for deciding who gets to go there. It's like when you have toys at home and you have to decide which toys you want to play with. The school wants to make sure they have a good mix of different people, so they have a way of choosing who gets in based on different things.

One thing they consider is how well you did in school. If you were a good student and got good grades, that could help you get in. They also look at other things like your involvement in activities or clubs, and if you did any special projects or community service. It's kind of like they want to know if you would be a good fit for their school.

But here comes the controversy part. Some people think they are not being fair when they choose who gets in. You see, the school used to have a system where they took into account the race or ethnicity of the students when making their decision. This means they would look at what race or ethnicity a person was, like if they were white, black, or Asian.

The people who didn't like this way of choosing said it wasn't fair because someone's race or ethnicity shouldn't matter when deciding if they are qualified for the school. They said that the school should only focus on things like grades and activities, which show how well a person can do in school.

So, the controversy happened because some people sued the school, saying that considering race or ethnicity wasn't fair and it went against what's called the "equal protection clause" in the Constitution, which means treating everyone the same. They argued that the school should have a different way of deciding who gets in without looking at race.

The people who supported considering race said that it was necessary to have a diverse student body because it helps everyone learn from different perspectives and prepares them for the real world. They said that some people might face more challenges or discrimination based on their race or ethnicity, and considering it could help level the playing field.

This became a big deal because it went all the way to the Supreme Court, which is like the highest group of judges in the country. They had to decide if the school was allowed to consider race in their admissions process.

In the end, the Supreme Court said it was okay for the school to consider race, but they also said it had to be done carefully and couldn't be the most important factor. They wanted to make sure the school was really trying to have a diverse student body, but not giving too much weight to race alone.

So, that's the University of Texas at Austin admissions controversy. It's about how the school decides who gets in and whether they should consider someone's race or ethnicity as one of the factors. Some people think it's fair, and others think it's not. The Supreme Court made a decision that means the school can still consider race, but they have to do it in a way that's fair to everyone.