(StraightShooterNews.com) – Following a landmark Supreme Court decision banning the use of race as a factor in university admissions, there is growing interest at both state and federal levels to stop the practice of legacy admissions.
Legacy admissions involve a preference for students whose family members attended the same school. Recently, the state of Virginia introduced a bill to ban legacy admissions, and a similar bill was proposed in Congress.
The bill in Virginia passed the state Senate unanimously and aims to stop admissions based on a family connection to a university donor. The bill reads:
“No public institution of higher education shall provide any manner of preferential treatment in the admissions decision to any student applicant on the basis of such student’s legacy status or such student’s familial relationship to any donor to such institution.”
At the federal level, Republican Senator Todd Young (IN) and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine (VA) authored a bipartisan bill with the same goal. In a press release, Sen. Young stated that legacy admissions limit opportunities for many talented young Americans and give unfair advantages to those with more connections.
According to The Wall Street Journal, about 56% of the top 250 colleges in the U.S. used legacy admissions in their enrollment process. The Connecticut legislature’s education committee also plans to investigate legacy admissions in their upcoming session.
Some arguments against legacy admissions claim they mainly benefit wealthy white applicants. However, unlike affirmative action, experts have said that the practice does not violate civil rights laws.
Legal experts like Alison Somin from the Pacific Legal Foundation and GianCarlo Canaparo from The Heritage Foundation explained that while legacy admissions might not violate civil rights laws, states have the power to regulate them. Nicole Pearson, a lawyer in California, agreed with their view.
Universities like Harvard expressed concern that ending legacy admissions could reduce engagement and support on campus. Despite this, the federal government began investigating legacy admissions at Harvard following the Supreme Court’s decision. Wesleyan University and the University of Minnesota have already stopped using legacy admissions.
