When underrepresented minority acceptance plummeted in the first admissions cycle after the affirmative action ban passed in 2006, the University chalked it up as a misleading anomaly. This year's admissions class would be the one that mattered - the first freshman class admitted completely without race- and gender-based affirmative action. And the results aren't as clear as everyone had predicted. The one clear thing, though, is that Michigan's ban on race- and gender-based affirmative action continues to be an unnecessary restriction on the University's ability to maintain a diverse campus.

Any drop in minority enrollment should be considered a defeat. To ignore factors like "race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin" is to ignore certain realities about inequality. The fact of the matter is that these variables translate to structural disadvantages.

It's true that working on improving elementary and secondary education and rebuilding the framework that disadvantages so many before they even pick up college applications is important. But acknowledging the fact that individuals don't control these circumstances and can't change them alone is equally important. That's why, when it comes to admitting students to higher learning institutes, accepting a race- and gender-blind application is tantamount to turning a blind eye to injustice.

The effects Michigan's ban appear to be two-fold. First, it's evident that the number of underrepresented minority students who even bothered to apply hasn't kept pace with general admissions. Although the University saw a 15.6-percent increase in the total number of applicants this year as compared to two years ago, underrepresented minority applications increased at only a third of that rate, a mere 4.6 percent.

More alarming, the number of underrepresented minority applications received this year dropped by 2.0 percent from last year - and that's despite the efforts to increase minority recruitment that the University says it's making. This seems to indicate that even before the applications reach the desks of admissions officers, the state's ban on affirmative action may be taking its toll by discouraging students from even applying.

And that's not the last of it. Race- and gender-blind admissions have had an unacceptable affect on the admissions of those who do bother applying, as evidenced by the fact that 200 less underrepresented minorities were admitted this year compared to 2006, although 122 more applied. Granted, overall acceptance rates have also fallen. But any way you slice it, the numbers show that minority students are being hurt by this ban.

Truth be told, the drop in minority admissions isn't as staggering as it could have been. Following the passage of similar legislation, other states saw egregious drops. Opponents of affirmative action have argued that drastic drops indicate that universities are making changes significant enough to comply with affirmative action bans. Viewed in this light, one can't help but wonder how much effort the University of Michigan is putting into ignoring the checkboxes it has promised to disregard. And if that effort is minimal, it should be applauded.

Less speculatively, the University has its work cut out for it. It's clear that the affirmative action ban is having an effect. If increasing recruitment efforts still resulted in a drop in both applicants and admissions for underrepresented minorities, the only solution is for the University to double that effort, taking every measure possible to fight the intended affects of banning affirmative action. The state needs to overturn the restriction. But until that happens, the University needs to unify with students to keep fighting the good fight.