Student Union
Calls Increase in US to End Legacy College Admissions
Many top private U.S. universities have what’s called legacy admissions, meaning applicants whose parents or family members went to that school get preference over others.
But is it fair?
Many educators and admissions officers are questioning whether legacy admissions should be abandoned. Others say the practice helps raise funds that can be used for students who need financial aid.
At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, legacy admissions were ended recently. JHU President Ronald J. Daniels said that many children of Hopkins’ graduates already have social and educational advantages.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Institute of Technology have not had legacy admissions, according to a column Daniels penned for The Atlantic. The University of California-Berkeley ended this preference in the 1990s, Daniels said. Other highly rated universities abandoning legacy admissions include the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in Britain.
Most retain it
But most colleges and universities continue the practice. A survey by Inside Higher Education found that about 42% of admissions officers at private colleges and universities said legacy remains a factor in admissions. At public colleges, only 6% reported using legacy as a factor.
Schools that allow legacy admissions say they raise more money if they give children of alumni special consideration, The Washington Post reported.
The money, in turn, helps other students with financial needs. Johns Hopkins reports that removing legacy admissions has resulted in a more diverse student body with high academic abilities, but one that requires more financial aid.
Additionally, students of college-educated parents are more likely to try for and complete an undergraduate degree than students whose parents did not attend college, an Inside Higher Education article said.
In 2014, special interest group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) brought legal action against Harvard University, saying Asian Americans were not being evaluated fairly. SSFA said Harvard gave preference to black and Hispanic students with lower grades.
Harvard policy upheld
In court, a Harvard dean said it was important for the university to favor the children of alumni in order to bring students who “have more experience with Harvard” together with “others who are less familiar with Harvard.” Putting these different groups of students together, he added, would make “them more effective citizens and citizen leaders for society.”
A federal judge agreed, ruling in 2019 that the school’s admission policy did not discriminate against Asian American students.
While SSFA says it is appealing the decision, the organization and its founder, Edward J. Blum, have been criticized for using this court strategy to abolish affirmative action. Blum and SSFA have unsuccessfully sued other universities over similar affirmative action claims.
The Twitterverse was overwhelmingly in favor of abolishing legacy admissions at U.S. colleges and universities.
“Very proud that @JohnsHopkins has just abolished legacy admissions,” wrote Yascha Mounk, an assistant professor at JHU School of Advanced Studies, whose tweet received 274 retweets and 1.3k likes.
'Do the right thing?'
“As [JHU President] Ron Daniels argues, this is ‘necessary if American universities are to fulfill their democratic promise to be ladders of mobility for all,’ " Mounk said. "So @Harvard, @Princeton, @Yale: Will you, too, do the right thing?”
Mounk called out other top-rated Ivy League universities that consider legacy when deciding admissions.
“End legacy admissions, sure. But end affirmative action too,” tweeted C.J. Pearson, self-described on his website as “the left’s youngest nightmare. Young, black and unapologetically Republican.” His tweet garnered 376 retweets and 1.6k likes. “America is a meritocracy. The color of one’s skin nor the import of their last name shouldn’t be what opens doors for someone in our society. It should be their talent and their abilities. Period.”
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
