Students for a Democratic Society protested against challenges to affirmative action brought to the Supreme Court Tuesday.

SDS members said affirmative action is an important policy to promote diversity. Member and junior visual communication design major Lucas Fratianne read a statement on the K.

“Affirmative action, in which universities consider a student’s race among the factors they look for in admission, is used to provide more equitable opportunities for students or other underrepresented groups,” he said.

The Supreme Court heard two cases challenging affirmative action in late 2022. They are likely to decide the case this summer. If made illegal, universities could not use race as a factor in admissions.

In the 2013 case Fisher v. University of Texas, the Supreme Court ruled affirmative action is constitutional if race is considered amongst a number of other factors. Quotas, which would require a fixed number of a certain ethnic group to be admitted to universities, have already been made illegal.

SDS members and protesters stood on Risman Plaza holding a flag and spoke about protecting affirmative action. Afterward, the group shouted chants such as “Education is a right, not just for the rich and white.”

SDS member and graduate philosophy major Colt Hutchinson said diversity in education is important and overturning affirmative action would be detrimental to students.

“This is coming together to paint a very bleak picture for what university could look like,” he said. “If we lose affirmative action […] [this] only further strengthens their case for removing these things or underfunding DEI which is a real problem across the country.”

Six people attended Tuesday’s protest. Fratianne said he was not disappointed by the turnout – he said any way to spread awareness is worthwhile.

“Obviously you hope a lot of people will show up. For me, personally, it doesn’t matter if it’s just me as long as I’m telling people, bring awareness to this,” he said. “One other person understands what’s going on, it’s a win for me.”

Hutchinson said students have been motivated to take action in the past, such as when a draft opinion on abortion was leaked last summer.

“If you look back, after the Dobbs draft leaked, we had 300/400 people, and people were energized,” he said. “They [students] want to fight for the future.”

SDS member Augusta Vorndran said it is important to take action for causes you believe in. Members compared the affirmative action case to the overturn of Roe v. Wade, which left regulation of abortion up to the states.

“It’s really easy to get stuck in the present and not care about something like this, because you’re so caught up in what you’re doing right now,” she said. “But when the future will come and things like this will be changed, like Roe v. Wade, you’re going to see the consequences.”

Kent State SDS has weekly meetings on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the Student Center. Their next action will be for International Women’s Day March 8.

Kayla Gleason is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected]. 

Grace Springer is general assignment editor. Contact her at [email protected].