Harvard hosts live streaming arguments and a community discussion for Harvard Affiliates Only. Manhattan Institute hosts post-argument analysis.

Fall 2022 articles of interest in the run up to the admissions case.

Wall Street Journal

Riley argues that proponents of affirmative action are ignoring the detrimental impact of the practice on those it purports to help.

New York Times

Ahead of the SCOTUS oral arguments, FAIR Advisor and Columbia University professor John McWhorter argues that “students of Asian descent have every right to feel discriminated against,” that “diversity is a thin justification for treating applicants differently” and that “folks, it’s time” to end racial preferences in admissions.

A selection of August 2022 articles of interest on the admissions case.

Harvard Gazette | Crimson

Harvard filed its brief with the Supreme Court in the SFFA v. Harvard case. According to the Gazette, “Harvard forcefully defended its compelling interest in pursuing the benefits of student-body diversity and the consideration of race as one factor among many… The filing is the latest round in the University’s eight-year battle to defend race-conscious admissions.” Bacow stressed that diversity is “central to fulfilling Harvard’s educational mission.”

Crimson

SCOTUS has decided to split the UNC and Harvard cases instead of hearing them together this fall. As the Crimson and other outlets report, the change “will allow newly seated Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92 to rule on the UNC case.”

Tablet

In mid-June, the administration announced that it will consider adding a Middle East and North African (MENA) category to the U.S. Census. Lind’s article goes into potential implications, including on university affirmative action policies—“expect the MENA quota for university admissions, faculty posts…to become a ceiling for Jewish and Arab Americans, not a floor.”

Old Parkland Conference

Mene Ukueberuwa is joined by Gail Heriot, Devon Westhill and Kenny Xu to explore questions on affirmative action: “What is the track record of racial preferences? Do they benefit the black poor, as proponents claim? Do they stigmatize beneficiaries? Are there alternative ways of addressing black underrepresentation at elite schools and in white-collar professions? How should the Supreme Court decide the discrimination case filed by Asian students against Harvard?

Wall Street Journal

Alan Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at HLS, argues that a SCOTUS decision against affirmative action in favor of meritocracy could be the impetus for ensuring true diversity on campus.

The Crimson

In this long-form piece, the authors detail the impact of a potential ruling against use of racial preferences in admissions, including race-neutral admissions alternatives.

Boston Globe

Higher ed leaders have begun to strategize how they will retain race-based diversity without racial preferences.

The Dersh Show

In this podcast/video, HLS Professor of Law Emeritus, Alan Dershowitz, argues for the end of racial preferences and the enormous opportunity it would provide for a deeper level of diversity.

The Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism filed an amicus brief supporting the petitioners (SFFA) in SFFA v. Harvard. Worth reading in full, the brief applies FAIR’s core principles to what’s at stake in substituting the collective for the individual.

Education Next

Expert witness Peter Arcidiacono, Duke University Economics professor, previews the affirmative action cases and a study he co-authored entitled: “What the Students for Fair Admissions Cases Reveal About Racial Preferences.”

Wall Street Journal

A new Pew Center Research poll shows Americans want decisions in college admissions and hiring based on merit, not race. Results come before SCOTUS is set to hear SFFA v. Harvard in its fall term.

Video | Gazette | Crimson

Lead trial counsel William F. Lee ’72 recently sat down to discuss the SFFA v. Harvard admissions case and the Harvard admissions process with Chief DEI Officer Sherri Ann Charleston in a forum hosted by Harvard’s Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB).

Heterodox Out Loud

In this episode, Jack Rausch and Temple’s Ravi Kudesia “explore a concept revered by many and challenged by few in higher education—the value of diversity.”

The Chronicle

In this piece, Steven Brint foresees SCOTUS ruling against affirmative action, standardized testing being eliminated, and attempts to “replace it with more representative systems” falling short. As a remedy, he argues for a “civocracy” in which classrooms are populated with more students interested in bettering society.

The Crimson

In this piece, lead attorneys in the SFFA v. Harvard case William F. Lee ’72 and Seth P. Waxman ’73 reflect on their time at Harvard when its “admissions process evolved to consider race as a factor, becoming a model that was subsequently copied nationwide.”