{"id":29213,"date":"2023-06-29T13:31:31","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T17:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/news\/as-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-the-push-to-end-legacy-admissions-may-gain-momentum\/"},"modified":"2023-06-29T13:31:32","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T17:31:32","slug":"as-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-the-push-to-end-legacy-admissions-may-gain-momentum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=29213","title":{"rendered":"As Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action, the push to end legacy admissions may gain momentum"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past century, educational institutions have used legacy admissions to give preference to family members of alumni or donors, especially their children. Data and various studies show the system has benefited white students most \u2014 as intended, because it was originally established to keep Jewish and immigrant students out \u2014 even in cases where those admitted to college do not have better grades or higher test scores than non-legacy students.<\/p>\n

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Related:<\/strong> How college admissions will change in America after the Supreme Court knocked down affirmative action<\/p>\n

In light of the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling that race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violate the 14th Amendment\u2019s equal-protection clause, the legacy-admissions system may no longer be justifiable either, some critics told MarketWatch ahead of the decision. <\/p>\n

And some opponents of the system say it\u2019s unfair no matter what.<\/p>\n

Those include the Democratic co-authors of federal legislation called the Fair College Admissions for Students Act, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York, who plan to reintroduce their bill, according to Merkley. It would prohibit universities that participate in the federal student-aid program from using legacy admissions, with waivers available to institutions that can show they\u2019re using legacy admissions to benefit historically underrepresented students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe longstanding use of legacy and donor preferences in admissions has unfairly elevated children of donors and alumni \u2014 who may be excellent students and well-qualified, but are the last people who need an extra leg up in the complicated and competitive college admissions process,\u201d Merkley said in a statement to MarketWatch. <\/p>\n

The system \u201ccreates an unlevel playing field for students without those built-in advantages, especially minority and first-generation students,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

To Viet Nguyen, the executive director of EdMobilizer, a group of first-generation students who advocate for making higher education accessible and equitable, \u201cgetting rid of legacy is a no-brainer,\u201d he said in an interview. Nguyen\u2019s organization supports the federal bill and is also working with states, plus alumni of elite universities, in the push to eliminate legacy admissions. <\/p>\n

Still, he called ending legacy policies just one tool in addressing inequities in higher education. \u201cSubstantial changes are needed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After the Supreme Court issued its decision Thursday, many others also questioned the future of legacy admissions. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Supreme Court ended affirmative action today. Expected but disappointing,\u201d Juli\u00e1n Castro, a Democrat who served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cNow do legacy admissions. They absolutely disadvantage people of color, women and families who have been low-income for generations. They must end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proponents of legacy admissions, such as Harvard, contend the system helps preserve \u201cstrong bonds\u201d between the college and its alumni \u2014 an argument that is understood to include universities\u2019 desire to hang on to their donors.<\/p>\n

But Nguyen said his group is \u201cflipping the script\u201d on that common argument, suggesting that keeping the system in place may negatively affect alumni donations to universities. \u201cWe\u2019re saying young alumni will be angry if you don\u2019t get rid of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That sentiment is reflected in various student opinion pieces at universities like Harvard, Brown, Cornell University, Yale University, the University of Michigan and more, which call for ending the legacy system.<\/p>\n

Some institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University and Amherst College, have already eliminated legacy admissions, and the University of Pennsylvania appears to be moving away from it. At Johns Hopkins, the move led to an increase in admissions for Pell grant-eligible students, who come from low-income households. Earlier this month, Amherst reported that a record 19% of its incoming students are the first in their families to go to a four-year college.<\/p>\n

That bolsters the argument that legacy admissions ensure that \u201cwhatever inequalities existed in the past are being recreated in the present by giving preference to those who have parents who were students a generation ago,\u201d said Nancy DiTomaso, a professor of business and management at Rutgers Business School. Her 2013 book, \u201cThe American Non-Dilemma: Racial Inequality without Racism,\u201d explored white privilege as a function of white people\u2019s preferential treatment of people in their own networks.<\/p>\n

Eliminating legacy admissions would have a \u201climited effect\u201d on white students and, to an extent, Asian students, DiTomaso said. \u201cThere are still many options available from which they can gain a good education and good opportunities for their life outcomes,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

But Black and Latino students have \u201cgreater obstacles and lesser resources,\u201d she added, even those whose families are middle class, because of different factors including the effects of policies and laws that have made it harder for their families to build wealth. <\/p>\n

From the archives (January 2022):<\/strong> Racial and economic inequality persists. Why do many people deny it?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n