The NAACP: Rethinking the College Admissions Process to Make Sure Everyone’s Academic Successes Are Alive and Well: A Response to Mobilizer’s Call for Action
The alumni of 30 prestigious colleges have been urging them to not accept donations until their schools end their admissions legacy. That initiative, led by Ed Mobilizer, also targets Harvard and other Ivy League schools.
The group’s executive director asked “Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations?” “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.”
Opponents of affirmative action argue that race should have no bearing on university admissions. Efforts to increase diversity by considering other factors, such as socio-economic status are not having the desired effect, according to the evidence. As Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her 69-page dissenting opinion, “Superficial colorblindness in a society that systematically segregates opportunity will cause a sharp decline in the rates at which underrepresented minority students enroll in our Nation’s colleges and universities.”
It draws attention to other colleges that have abandoned the practice amid questions about its fairness.
US universities must now carefully consider their position and recommit to enhancing the diversity of their students and faculty members. It became more and more difficult to get equity and inclusion. It cannot be permanently halted for society to progress toward equality. The pursuit of racial diversity will continue.
“It is our hope that our nation’s institutions will stand with us in embracing diversity, no matter what,” said Derrick Johnson president and CEO of the NAACP. “Regardless, the NAACP will continue to advocate, litigate and mobilize to ensure that every Black American has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.”
Legacy donations and alumni community builder: The case for an end to segregation after the 2014 high school football championship in Los Alamos, Calif
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.
Some schools provide a legacy boost, and others don’t. According to the University of Southern California, more than 10% of last year’s admitted students had family ties to alumni or donors. Stanford reported a similar rate.
The policy supporters say encourages donations and builds an alumni community. A 2022 study of an undisclosed college in the Northeast found that legacy students were more likely to make donations, but at a cost to diversity — the vast majority were white.
Institutions must now find innovative and alternative ways to continue their efforts to build a more diverse academic environment. Evidence shows that greater diversity leads to increased innovation and improves education, which ultimately benefits society.
Affirmative action was an acknowledgement that, without robust efforts to diversify workplaces and student bodies, segregation, although no longer enshrined in law, would effectively continue by default through existing disparities in educational and professional achievement.
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. Black students’ scores on the SAT college-admission test were negatively impacted when researchers modelled the effect of low income on people taking the test.