The logical next shoe has dropped in the fight over college admissions. A civil rights organization has sued Harvard University, alleging that its practice of giving preference to legacy applicants and applicants whose parents are big donors discriminates against applicants of color. The complaint even quotes the recent Supreme Court majority opinion: “A benefit provided to some applicants but not to others necessarily advantages the former group at the expense of the latter.”
(comments below)
(comments below)
I’m surprised we haven’t seen (so far) suits over the preferences given to athletes.
That’ll NEVER happen.
At UVA for the one year it cooperated, the legacy “preference” disappeared when SAT scores were overlaid. Legacies had the highest offer percentages, but their SAT scores were right in line with their racial groups. My hypothesis is the parents were smart enough to get in, so the kids likely inherited from smart parents and had fairly comfortable upbringings.
But the Marxists in the faculty HATE the legacy “preference. On the other hand, they are all in for the current racialized scheme and mandated DEI statements…
While I oppose both affirmative action and giving preference to legacies and kids of donors, there is an inherent difference in the two issues. The legacies and donors (with presumably significant overlap), subsidize the cost of attendance for other students.
Whether they pay full price or whether their donations pay for scholarships or offset capital costs, there’s a clear business argument that can be made (it’s similar for accepting so many out-of-state students to Virginia schools. . .their higher tuition helps keep in-state tuition low).
If we were to look at the financial aid data and the distribution of tuition dollars from legacy and donor students and break it down by race, we might find that the practice disproportionately benefits students of color. Or at least makes higher education more accessible to lower-income communities of any race.
Thank you for pointing out what so many think and know to be absolute truth yet seldom say out of fear of being labeled (fill in the blank Supremacist).
Another hypothetical injury? Redress, undress, same thing.
Can’t we sue over preferences given to kids from New Jersey?
Legacy admissions should be eliminated across the board and as soon as possible.
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