A duo of congressional Democrats teamed up on Wednesday to introduce a measure to end legacy admissions at universities around the country in a move they hope will make college admission practices more fair.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) introduced the Fair College Admissions for Students Act in their respective chambers on Wednesday, which would eliminate preferential treatment to applicants who already have ties to the school.
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Bowman claimed the legacy tradition largely benefited affluent white people trying to get into the country’s most elite schools. The bill comes after the Supreme Court ended affirmative action last month. The practice had allowed race to be one of the considered factors when accepting or rejecting students.
“All students deserve an equitable chance to be admitted to institutions of higher education, but many are overlooked in the admissions process due to the historically elitist and racist legacy and donor admissions practices at colleges across the country,” Bowman said in a statement. “Our democracy depends on equity in education from preschool to college to vocational school and beyond, so that every young person in our country has access to the tools they need to unlock their brilliance and reach their full potential.”
The legislation seeks to change the Higher Education Act of 1965 by cutting federal funding to schools that still consider family members’ attendance to the school, or a parent’s donation to the school, as part of their vetting and approval process.
“Though the Supreme Court gutted race-conscious college admissions, make no mistake, affirmative action is still alive and well for children of alumni and major donors, and taxpayers shouldn’t be funding it,” Merkley said. “Children of donors and alumni may be excellent students and well-qualified, but they are the last people who should get an additional leg up in the complicated and competitive college admissions process.”
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Some elite schools, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have already eliminated the practice. But several Ivy League colleges, including Harvard and Yale, have not.
It is unclear whether the legislation will get much bipartisan support, but Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) previously called for the end of legacy admissions after the Supreme Court ended affirmative action.
