Education Department Opens Investigation Into Harvard Legacy Admissions Practice
Just weeks after the Supreme Court's controversial ruling to end affirmative action, admissions practices at Harvard University are back in the news.
A civil rights group filed a federal suit, claiming Harvard's admissions favors the children of alumni and donors (a practice known as "legacy admissions"). The group represents three education equity groups: The Chica Project, African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE), and Greater Boston Latino Network. According to MassLive, "Donor-related applicants are almost seven times more likely to be admitted than non-donor-related applicants, while legacies are nearly six times more likely to be admitted into the school." In addition, reportedly 70% of Harvard’s donor-related and legacy applicants are white.
"Harvard is on the wrong side of history," Oren M. Sellstrom, the litigation director for the Lawyers for Civil Rights, said. "Momentum is growing, as more and more colleges and universities abandon these unfair preferences, those that claim to them will increasingly be seen as outliers." Recently, Wesleyan University announced it was ending legacy admissions, following schools like Amherst, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, and MIT.
The Education Department confirmed an investigation was ongoing, but declined to comment further, as they do not comment on open investigations. "The Office for Civil Rights can confirm that there is an open investigation of Harvard University under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964," the Education Department said in a statement, per the New York Times. According to the Justice Department, "Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance."
Harvard was already reviewing its admissions practices, a spokesperson said. "Our review includes examination of a range of data and information, along with learnings from Harvard’s efforts over the past decade to strengthen our ability to attract and support a diverse intellectual community that is fundamental to our pursuit of academic excellence," Nicole Rura, a spokeswoman for Harvard, said in a statement.
She added, "As this work continues, and moving forward, Harvard remains dedicated to opening doors to opportunity and to redoubling our efforts to encourage students from many different backgrounds to apply for admission."
There's no public timeline for the Education Department's investigation into Harvard.
You Might Also Like
