In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action in college admissions, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) urged Harvard to reconsider and eliminate any legacy programs. During a Fox News interview on Thursday, he expressed the view that Harvard could enhance its fairness by discontinuing preferential treatment for legacy students, and by not allowing professors' children to receive special consideration for admission to the university.
The Supreme Court ruled that colleges can no longer use race as a factor in admissions decisions, prohibiting affirmative action at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina. According to the Republican presidential candidate for 2024, universities should go above and beyond to include legacy students.
"They're trying to find a way to increase Harvard's footprint. As Scott said, "let's look at the legacy programs and not just eliminate affirmative action, let's make sure that all admissions are based on academic scores. Consider the fact that the students of the professors are also welcome there.
Conversations about how colleges handle legacy preferences have been circulating since the Supreme Court's decision to outlaw affirmative action in college admissions, leading some lawmakers to call for an end to the practice.
President Joe Biden announced plans to order the Department of Education to look into admissions practices in order to support diverse student bodies at colleges and universities, saying that "practices like legacy admissions and other systems expand privilege instead of opportunity."
Also speaking were representatives from the House of Representatives.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted, "If SCOTUS was serious about their ludicrous 'colorblindness' claims, they would have abolished legacy admissions, aka affirmative action for the privileged."
Colleges and universities can use legacy admissions as a criterion to give alumni's offspring preference. The use of legacy admissions to increase an applicant's chances of admission is debatable, and the Supreme Court decision raised concerns about how it might impact campus diversity.
"This is a day where we realize that our Constitution wants us to be judged by the content of our character, not by the color of our skin," Scott said. "We are working to create a union that is more perfect. It is obvious how far our country has come.
The Supreme Court ruled that colleges can no longer use race as a factor in admissions decisions, prohibiting affirmative action at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina. According to the Republican presidential candidate for 2024, universities should go above and beyond to include legacy students.
"They're trying to find a way to increase Harvard's footprint. As Scott said, "let's look at the legacy programs and not just eliminate affirmative action, let's make sure that all admissions are based on academic scores. Consider the fact that the students of the professors are also welcome there.
Conversations about how colleges handle legacy preferences have been circulating since the Supreme Court's decision to outlaw affirmative action in college admissions, leading some lawmakers to call for an end to the practice.
President Joe Biden announced plans to order the Department of Education to look into admissions practices in order to support diverse student bodies at colleges and universities, saying that "practices like legacy admissions and other systems expand privilege instead of opportunity."
Also speaking were representatives from the House of Representatives.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted, "If SCOTUS was serious about their ludicrous 'colorblindness' claims, they would have abolished legacy admissions, aka affirmative action for the privileged."
Colleges and universities can use legacy admissions as a criterion to give alumni's offspring preference. The use of legacy admissions to increase an applicant's chances of admission is debatable, and the Supreme Court decision raised concerns about how it might impact campus diversity.
"This is a day where we realize that our Constitution wants us to be judged by the content of our character, not by the color of our skin," Scott said. "We are working to create a union that is more perfect. It is obvious how far our country has come.
