Harvard faces lawsuit over legacy admissions following affirmative action ruling backlash.
Civil Rights Activists Sue Harvard Over Legacy Admissions
Challenging the Advantage of Wealthy Alumni
Civil rights activists are taking action against Harvard’s legacy admissions, following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against affirmative action in college admissions. They argue that the practice unfairly benefits mostly white children of wealthy alumni, giving them an advantage over minorities.
Lawyers for Civil Rights, a Boston nonprofit, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the black and Latino communities in New England, alleging that Harvard’s legacy admissions violate the Civil Rights Act. The lawsuit comes after the high court ruled against race-based admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
“Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations?” said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the executive director at Lawyers for Civil Rights. “Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should have no bearing on the college admissions process.”
From 2014-2019, Harvard had an acceptance rate of 6%, but enrolled 33% of legacy applicants and nearly 47% of applicants who were children of faculty or staff. Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons defended the long-lasting practice, stating that legacy status gives students a “slight tip” in the admissions process.
Supporters of affirmative action argue that it helps counterbalance Harvard’s legacy admissions, which critics claim favor the wealthy elite. President Joe Biden and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) have both called for an end to legacy admissions after the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Biden urged universities to rethink legacy admissions, stating that they “expand privilege instead of opportunity.” Sen. Scott criticized admissions policies that give “preferential treatment” to certain individuals.
“I think the question is how do you continue to create a culture where education is the goal for every single part of our community?” Scott asked. “One of the things that Harvard could do to make that even better is to eliminate any legacy programs where they have preferential treatment for legacy kids, not allow for the professors — their kids to come to Harvard as well.”
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch also targeted legacy admissions in a concurring opinion after voting with conservatives against affirmative action, stating that the process “undoubtedly benefits white and wealthy applicants the most.”
“Its preferences for the children of donors, alumni, and faculty are no help to applicants who cannot boast of their parents’ good fortune or trips to the alumni tent all their lives,” Gorsuch wrote.
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