More than three dozen Northeastern students piled into vans and drove to Washington, D.C. Monday afternoon for rallies in support of affirmative action and the University of Michigan.

Northeastern Dean of Affirmative Action and Diversity Donnie J. Perkins joined the students, Senator Edward Kennedy and a crowd of thousands, rallying outside the U.S. Supreme Court building as opening arguments began Tuesday in the case challenging Michigan’s affirmative action policy regarding undergraduate and law school admissions.

The University of Michigan came under fire in 1997 when two separate lawsuits were filed. Late last year, the Bush Administration publicly announced its intention to intervene in those lawsuits on behalf of the plaintiffs, attacking affirmative action policies in the U.S.

After months of controversy and debate brought the national spotlight on the case, NU President Richard Freeland filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in February on behalf of Northeastern supporting the University of Michigan. Northeastern was just one of hundreds of universities and businesses in the nation that filed briefs stressing the importance of affirmative action.

“Northeastern strives to ensure that the workforce of the future, across the full range of professions, is diverse and inclusive,” President Freeland said in February. “Affirmative action policies that consider race among a number of criteria in the admissions process are essential to the achievement of this mission.”

“By and large, research shows that affirmative action benefits everyone, especially in the academic community,” Perkins said.

After rallying outside the Supreme Court Building, Perkins and the NU students participated in a march to the Lincoln Memorial.