Affirmative Action for the Class of 2024: Is Your College Future in Danger?

雷·维多利亚24年创作

上图来源: apnews.com

随着今年7月最高法院裁决的最新更新, 他们的决定, 公平录取学生, INC. v. PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE’ has been brought to light and is stirring controversy nationwide. 

White and Asian families last year sued Harvard University because they felt that they were discriminated against and at a disadvantage during the college application process. 与他们的POC(有色人种)竞争对手相比, White and Asian students were not assigned a percentage quota to fill the upcoming class at Harvard. 波士顿法院接到案件后, it slowly advanced through the ranks until it eventually reached the Supreme Court.

SCOTUS美国最高法院 美国), officially released their decision on this  affirmative action case this past July, 大多数人都赞成废除该法案. But what does this mean for the college application process in the future? 

To understand the future of racial inclusion in the college application process, 首先了解它的过去是很重要的. Affirmative action is a policy that all colleges and universities use to give an equal advantage to all applicants, 不管他们是什么种族. 根据 克林顿档案, with racial tension rising in the 1960’s in response to the civil rights movement, 约翰·F总统. Kennedy created the Committee on Equal 就业 Opportunity in 1961 and issued Executive Order 10925, which used the term ‘affirmative action’ to refer to measures designed to achieve non-discrimination. In 1965, 约翰逊总统发布了第11246号行政命令, requiring federal contractors to take affirmative action to ensure equality of employment opportunity without regard to race, 宗教和国籍”. These discriminative policies caused social upheaval in the federal government which caused them to respond with the new, 包容性的平权行动政策.

在回应, educational institutions also found it necessary to increase their percentage of diverse students. Affirmative action turned out to be even more advantageous for students of color that come from low income communities as opposed to wealthier White students. For many low income students consideration for higher level universities like Harvard was out of the question, not because of their race but because there was often a correlation between education level and economic background. 

Now that Affirmative Action has been struck down, will diversity within colleges cease to exist?

This is the question many parents are asking regarding this year's cycle of college applicants, 尤其是有色人种的家庭. 如果大学在大学申请过程中忽视种族, they will be forced to look at the towns students come from to fill these diversity percentages. 统计, students who achieve more academically with higher SAT scores and AP courses tend to live in more affluent school districts. These higher income communities, are predominantly populated by White and Asian Americans.

因为大学不能用种族来填补他们的多样性百分比, some admissions committees will consider the communities students come from as a proxy for race. 在大学申请过程中不考虑种族因素, people of color who live in higher income communities will have a far slimmer chance of acceptance. 据当地一所大学的招生官说, “POC, 就我所见而言, are the lower income families living amongst these wealthier families in towns where the average household income is well above their own. 结果是, if POC are not receiving the same education because they cannot afford it, 但仍被认为处于同一水平, than POC that live in these wealthy communities will not be given a fair chance.例如:, a one student in North Andover might need to work after school to contribute to the family income, whereas another student doesn’t need to and thus has more time for studying or private tutoring.

While the majority of families in high income communities like North Andover make enough to where this problem will not affect them, there are still students in these wealthier towns who do face financial challenges in their high school careers that set them back when compared to their neighbors. 住在安多弗的黑人家庭, MA, 例如，黑人家庭的贫困率高于白人家庭. 根据 世界人口观, an organization dedicated to publishing accurate census data in different towns in the US, 25% 在安多弗，只有7%的黑人家庭生活在贫困之中.16%的白人家庭生活贫困.Thus, Black and Latino families living in high income communities like Andover or North Andover have economical disadvantaged compared to their high school peers. 

根据 国家教育统计中心, Hispanic/Latino and Black applicants have an enrollment rate of 30% for the past 20 years into 4 year colleges. This is significantly less than their White and Asian competitors however, 平均入学率分别是40%和60%. And with this new policy banning consideration of race in college admissions, White and Asian families will continue to be the majority and schools will mainly consist of students who come from higher education and economic backgrounds, 这意味着大学的多样性将会降低.

平权法案增加了大学的多样性, 给予所有申请者平等的机会, and made the admissions process much easier for colleges and universities. 结果是, it was seen as a positive by both colleges and applicants. However, as some White and Asian families saw affirmative action as a form of descrimination against White and Asian students, 这对他们来说成了一个问题, 随着最高法院的官方裁决最终公布, a平权行动被废除. Now, POC in the class of 2024 applicant pool will likely be left to suffer the ramifications.