A Harvard Without Affirmative Action?
The Crimson | Rahem D. Hamid, Vivi E. Lu
In this long-form piece, the writers detail the impact of what “analysts on both sides of the issue seem to agree on”— that “race-conscious admissions policies are likely on the way out.”
The writers explore “race-neutral admissions alternatives” — “experts suggested that if affirmative action is outlawed, Harvard could more heavily consider other factors in admissions, such as geography or socioeconomic status.”
Alternatives include admitting more students for whom English is a second language, focusing on geographic diversity, bolstering transfer programs from community colleges, and admitting more veterans.
A board member of Coalition for a Diverse Harvard suggested increasing curricular diversity, explaining that “with the rise of voter suppression, white supremacy, educational censorship, LGBTQ oppression, abortion restrictions, and hate crimes, Harvard must focus not only on student and faculty diversity but on curricular offerings like Ethnic Studies and community engagement experiences that will educate leaders who can bring us together.”
Even with alternatives, the writers said, “experts maintained that no other factor is as effective as race in achieving racial diversity in admissions.”
With nine states already banning race-based affirmative action (Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Washington), the potential impact of a ban is being compared and assessed.
“Of the students admitted to Harvard’s incoming Class of 2026, 15.5 percent are African American and 12.6 percent are Latinx. Experts say they would anticipate those numbers to decrease — similar to UC Berkeley [after Prop 209] — if the Supreme Court rules in favor of SFFA.”
In simulations conducted for the 2019 SFFA v. Harvard federal court trial, “Both simulations showed that the number of Black students at Harvard would decrease by more than half, enrollment of Latinx students would decrease by almost a third, and Asian American enrollment would increase by nearly 30 percent.”
Related:
As Affirmative Action Decision Looms, Colleges Look for Alternative Ways to Achieve Diversity (Boston Globe 5/22/22)
How Universities Will Sidestep SCOTUS on Affirmative Action (Real Clear Politics 1/28/22)
Strategies in States Where Affirmative Action is Banned (The Century Foundation, 2014)
