Activists are challenging legacy admissions at Harvard

The Supreme Court Justices’ decision to end racism-conscious admissions to American universities triggered by the Ivy League, the NAACP, and Amherst

There’s another campaign urging alumni of 30 prestigious colleges to refuse donations until they end legacy admissions at their schools. Ed Mobilizer led the initiative to target other Ivy League schools.

“Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations?” said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the group’s executive director. “Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should have no bearing on the college admissions process.”

The decision of the highest US court to end race-conscious admissions to the nation’s universities was widely expected. Nevertheless, when it came, on 29 June, the verdict shook many in academia, as well as the three Supreme Court justices who voted against the decision. “With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life,” wrote Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of two to issue separate dissenting opinions on the verdict.

It draws attention to other colleges that have abandoned the practice amid questions about its fairness, including Amherst College and Johns Hopkins University.

“Last week, the University reaffirmed its commitment to the fundamental principle that deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences,” the university said in a prepared statement. The University will determine how to preserve our essential values in the weeks and months ahead.

Also Monday, the NAACP launched a campaign aiming to get universities across the nation to promote campus diversity. The group called on 532 public and 1,134 private colleges and universities to end legacy preferences, eliminate “racially biased” entrance examinations, recruit diverse faculty, and support low-income and first-generation students with scholarships and mentoring, among other steps.

The impact of family ties on student admissions in California and other white-majority communities: a case study of affirmative action

Several Democrats in Congress demanded an end to the policy in light of the court’s decision, along with Republicans including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is vying for the GOP presidential nomination.

It’s unclear exactly which schools provide a legacy boost and how much it helps. In California, where state law requires schools to disclose the practice, the University of Southern California reported that 14% of last year’s admitted students had family ties to alumni or donors. A similar rate was reported by Stanford.

Supporters say the policy builds a community and encourages donations. A study done in the Northeast in the year 2022. found that legacy students were more likely to make donations but that the majority were white.

Institutions must now find innovative and alternative ways to continue their efforts to build a more diverse academic environment. This is important not only for moral and ethical reasons: evidence also shows that greater diversity improves all students’ education and leads to increased innovation, which ultimately benefits all of society.

affirmative action was established to correct centuries of harm caused by racism that Black people in the United States have suffered. After the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, they were conceived. Some white-majority communities fought vehemently to maintain segregation. The Little Rock Nine, consisting of African American teenagers, were the first to be admitted to a formerly white-only school.

It is well established that evaluations of educational achievement based on grades and test scores typically reflect the opportunities that students are afforded, which are inherently unequal. For example, schools that serve predominantly Black and Hispanic communities typically receive thousands of dollars less per student than do those serving predominantly white communities. When researchers modelled the effect of family income on people taking the SAT college-admission test, the negative impacts of low income and poverty on tests scores were amplified for Black students1.