After an affirmative action ruling, legacy admissions are a ripe target. Still, skyrocketing tuition costs and mountains of debt remain far greater worries for many Americans.
In the same week as a civil rights inquiry into Harvard, new data shows legacies are slightly more qualified yet are four times as likely to get into top schools.
Critics have accused them of boosting white, wealthy college applicants. But elite schools like Harvard may be reluctant to shut a source of alumni cash.
The NCAA recently eased its penalties for athletes who gamble on sports, even if it’s legal. The association is also indicating that it wants to profit from legal wagering.
At a daylong conference on affirmative action, there was much commiserating but little guidance as higher ed leaders searched for a path forward. WASHINGTON, D.C.—Speaking at an affirmative action summit hosted by the Department of Education Wednesday, Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary in the department’s Office for Civil Rights, urged college leaders to continue pushing for racial equity in admissions through lawful means, asserting that the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down affirmative action “did not question the educational value of diverse student bodies.”
A complaint arguing Harvard’s use of legacy admissions violates Title VI and creates an “unfair barrier” for minority applicants has prompted a federal investigation.
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