There's really only one question: Why?
Since the US supreme court banned affirmative action in college admissions in June 2023, US colleges and universities have grappled with how to boost campus diversity amid recent, troubling data. The latest figures on US college admissions at some major universities have shown drops in Black, Latino and Indigenous first-year enrollment.
And why is this an issue? Given the regular reports of how admission of these demographics are changing univercity life provided by the indefatigable David Thompson, why is it seen as a problem to be solved?
Following the supreme court decision, as a means to encourage equity in the college admissions process, Carleton College, Occidental College, Virginia Tech and Wesleyan University have said they would no longer consider legacy status in admissions, a practice where a prospective student receives preference because of an alumna or alumnus relative.
...many still have legacy policies to maintain alumni relations, and to secure funding from alumni, despite research disputing that legacy admissions increase donations, said Richard Kahlenberg of the Progressive Policy Institute, a liberal thinktank.
Ah, I see the issue. It seems that long march through the institutions hasn't quite hung up its walking boots and put on its slippers yet...
The majority of people with generational connections to a university are wealthy and white, said Julie Park, a professor of education at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Oh, heavens! Undesirables!
Schools need to examine other parts of the application process that can create unfair advantages, including use of standardized testing or putting significant weight on a student’s advanced placement (AP) classes, courses that are disproportionately unavailable to students of color, said Sarah Hinger, the deputy director of the Racial Justice Program at the American Civil Liberties Union. “Are schools affirmatively reaching all communities where there may be students who would be strong candidates for their school and enrich their student body?” she asked. “Are they using entry requirements that unnecessarily and unfairly exclude opportunity? For example, AP courses or even calculus may end up providing a skewed assessment of a student’s capability.”
Universities as we knew them are doomed, aren't they?
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