2023-07-04 01:26:57
Harvard College was the subject of a challenge on Monday alleging that its undergraduate admissions policy in favor of candidates with family ties at the elite school overwhelmingly benefits white students, days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned college admissions programs with racial criteria.
Three civil rights groups have filed a complaint with the US Department of Education, arguing that Harvard’s preferences for candidates in the so-called “legacy” category violates a federal law that prohibits racial discrimination in programs that receive federal funds, as occurs in virtually all colleges and universities in the United States.
Last week, the Supreme Court found affirmative policies adopted by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina to secure more admissions of non-white students to be unconstitutional. The decision was a major blow to efforts to increase diversity in schools and is expected to create new challenges for admissions policies.
Harvard College is the graduate school of Harvard University.
In Monday’s response, the groups highlighted that the Supreme Court decision made it even more imperative to eliminate policies that disfavor non-white candidates.
Harvard College did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The groups are represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights, a Boston-based nonprofit that describes itself on its website as working with “communities of color and immigrants to fight discrimination.”
The group’s executive director, Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, pointed out that the Supreme Court made it clear last week that any policies that disadvantage racial groups are illegal by noting that “to eliminate racial discrimination means to eliminate it totally.”
“Your family surname and bank account size are not a measure of merit and should not influence the admissions process,” he said in a statement.
By Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York
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