I went into this week with the shadow of the impending Supreme Court rulings about affirmative action looming over me. When reading about the first four rules for multicultural marketing, I was definitely finding myself really relating to rule #2, Divide and Conquer. I think it is so important to celebrate the different personalities and cultures that make up our country’s society. In having these feelings, I find it sickening that the Supreme Court is trying to take away that unique sense of identity by ruling that college admissions can no longer be based on race.

I read an AP article this week that discusses the aftermath of the court’s decision and how it will now affect college admissions as a whole. The article talks about how this decision will almost surely diminish minority admission to a lot of colleges and universities. In the other states that have already banned affirmative action, there were dips and slides in enrollment almost immediately, and they are still in a decline, particularly among Blacks and Hispanics.

Now, I am aware that the court’s decision does not deny admissions offices from promoting diversity among its applicants, there is just an extra barrier for students of color to get into some of these schools. Having less resources and access to things that rich, white kids have access to puts them at a severe disadvantage when it comes to their accolades. There is the fear that this will most likely deter students from even attempting to apply, because either they know they don’t have a good chance to get in or they know that if they do get in, they will be in a vast minority on campus. They wouldn’t feel welcome or at home. This presents a barrier to the college admissions world in their quest to promote diversity.

Working in this field, I am highly impacted by the court’s ruling. Our department now has to come up with creative ways to promote diversity on our campus as well as for Penn State as a whole, which is tough to do seeing as Penn State’s track record with diversity is not the greatest. Promising diversity to students who know they are starting a few paces behind those with money and privilege is like trying to tie a shoe with one hand tied behind your back: almost impossible and incredibly frustrating. These students are smart, they know their situation. The court’s ruling will make us as marketers in the college admissions world have to fight tooth and nail to continue to divide and conquer when it comes to our messaging to these segmented populations.