US Groups Challenge Harvard ‘Legacy Admissions’

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Facts

  • Less than a week after SCOTUS struck down affirmative action in higher education admissions, three advocacy groups have filed federal civil rights complaints against Harvard College, alleging that its legacy admissions policy for undergraduate applicants with family ties to the school favors an “overwhelmingly white” group of candidates.1
  • The Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) non-profit — representing the Chica Project, the African Community Economic Development of New England, and the Greater Boston Latino Network — filed the complaint Monday.2
  • The complaint cites Harvard data that was disclosed amid the SCOTUS affirmative action case that says that 70% of Harvard’s applicants with family ties to donors or alumni are white, and being a legacy student makes an applicant around six times more likely to be admitted to the elite school.3
  • The LCR adds that Harvard's alleged preference for legacy applicants violates a federal law banning race discrimination for programs that receive federal funds and has asked the Dept. of Education to investigate the school's admission practices. The group has also said that it may follow up with a lawsuit.1
  • Harvard hasn't commented on the new complaint, though the college earlier confirmed that it would respect the SCOTUS ruling ending affirmative action. It emphasized, however, that its "essential values" remain unaltered.4
  • SCOTUS struck down affirmative action programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina on June 29, ruling that both institutions were in violation of the 14th Amendment and federal civil rights law. This decision essentially ends the practice of overt racial consideration in higher education admissions.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Al Jazeera, 3PBS NewsHour, 4FOX News, and 5New York Post.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by WBUR News. Legacy admission policies are essentially affirmative action for privileged white people. With the recent supreme court decision to overturn affirmative action, it's more important than ever to eliminate policies that systematically disadvantage students of color. Applicants should no longer benefit from advantages from prior generations rather than their own merit.
  • Narrative B, as provided by RealClear Education. Legacy admissions policies promote strong communities and incentivize donors to give money to schools like Harvard — outcomes that benefit not only legacy candidates but all students at these universities. Non-legacy students are given the opportunity to network with elite social groups, sowing the seeds for a prosperous career. Contrary to popular rhetoric, the practice is a boon for equal opportunity.