Three historical Supreme Court cases will be discussed during a town hall meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, in the Student Activities Center at Indiana University South Bend.

The three cases, Brown v. Board of Education and Gratz v. University of Michigan, and Grutter v. University of Michigan, each have had an impact on education.

The 1954 Brown case pronounced that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

Gratz invalidated the point system used by Michigan’s undergraduate school. Grutter upheld Michigan’s holistic approach to considering race as a possible plus factor in the review of applicants for law school. In essence, the two decisions say that point systems are taboo but holistic assessment is all right.

The two presenters will be Professor Kevin D. Brown, IU Bloomington School of Law, and John Matlock, associate vice provost and director of the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives at the University of Michigan.

Brown and Matlock are frequent speakers on the topic of race and education.

Registration and light refreshments will begin at 5:30 p.m. A welcome will be given by Eileen Bender, professor of English. The moderator will be Douglas Agbetsiafa, professor of economics and president of the IU South Bend Black Faculty and Staff Council.

Following Brown’s and Matlock’s presentation, there will be a question and answer period.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information call (574) 520-4135. The event is sponsored by the South Bend Tribune, the offices of Student and Community Relations and Student Affairs, Black Faculty and Staff Council, Indiana Institutional Development and Student Affairs, and IU South Bend’s Department of Political Science.