Page 6 - aruba-today-20170807

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 7 august 2017

Ivy League schools brace for scrutiny of race in admissions

gation. At Brown University, classes of students,” Har-
the inquiry was a topic of vard spokeswoman Ra-
discussion last week, school chael Dane said. “Har-
spokesman Brian Clark said. vard’s admissions process
“The courts have held that considers each applicant
colleges and universities as a whole person, and we
may act affirmatively to review many factors, con-
achieve the educational sistent with the legal stan-
goals at the core of our dards established by the
academic excellence U.S. Supreme Court.”
at Brown,” Clark said in a Despite the growth in the
statement. “Through our nonwhite student popula-
race-conscious admission tions, the schools acknowl-
practices, Brown assembles edge their diversity efforts
the diverse range of per- are aimed largely at draw-
spectives and experiences ing students from underrep-
essential for a learning and resented races and ethnici-
research community that ties, a category that often
prepares students to thrive includes blacks and Latinos
in a complex and chang- but not Asian-American
ing world.” students.
Word of the investigation Princeton’s Eisgruber said
startled some who thought the last decade has seen
In this 2012 photo, a tour group walks through the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, the affirmative action de- a significant increase in the
Mass. Word of an August 2017 Justice Department inquiry into how race factors into admissions
at Harvard University has left top-tier colleges bracing for scrutiny of practices that have boosted bate was settled after the number of Asian-American
diversity levels to new highs. U.S. Supreme Court last year students on campus, while
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola) upheld race-conscious growth among other mi-
By COLLIN BINKLEY “They’re pulling the scab off the demographics of an admissions at the Univer- norities has been “more
Associated Press a wound that was healing,” increasingly diverse nation, sity of Texas. That case was modest.” The trend has
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) said Anthony Carnevale, but the schools also con- brought by a white student been similar across the Ivy
— A Justice Department who has studied affirmative sider race for reasons in- who contended she was League, where U.S. minority
inquiry into how race influ- action programs and leads cluding a desire to reverse rejected from the school students other than Asian-
ences admissions at Har- Georgetown University’s historically low numbers of while black students with Americans made up only
vard University has left se- Center for Education and minorities at elite universi- lower grades were admit- 24 percent of incoming
lective colleges bracing for the Workforce. “This could ties that in some cases be- ted. In the Harvard case, in- students in 2015. By con-
new scrutiny of practices erupt in a bunch more cas- gan admitting nonwhite vestigators are looking into trast, those minority groups
that have helped boost di- es.” At the eight Ivy League students only in the last 75 a 2015 complaint brought made up 35 percent of the
versity levels to new highs colleges including Harvard, years. “We’re aiming for by a coalition of 64 Asian- U.S. population last year,
across the Ivy League. Yale and Princeton, the diversity on our campus American groups that al- according to Census esti-
Harvard and other top-tier number of U.S. minority stu- and we’re achieving it,” lege the school uses racial mates.
colleges closely guard the dents in all incoming class- said Christopher Eisgruber, quotas to admit students Some who oppose race-
inner workings of their ad- es grew by 17 percent be- president of Princeton Uni- and discriminates against conscious policies have
missions offices, but they tween 2010 and 2015, while versity. “Universities have a Asian-Americans by hold- said they’re encouraged
defend approaches that overall enrollment in those compelling interest in pur- ing them to a higher stan- by the Justice Depart-
consider an applicant’s classes grew by less than suing diversity in their stu- dard. The Justice Depart- ment’s inquiry, while sup-
race among other fac- 2 percent, according to dent bodies through a ho- ment said it’s revisiting the porters see it as political
tors as a way to bring a di- the latest federal data. By listic assessment of factors.” case because it was left posturing by President Don-
verse mix of perspectives to 2015, minorities accounted Eisgruber said he is not sur- unresolved by the previous ald Trump’s administration.
campus. While the schools for more than 43 percent of prised by the “continuing administration. Still, some advocates fear
believe they are on firm le- all incoming students in the political controversy,” but it Harvard said its practices there could be a chilling
gal ground, experts say the Ivy League, up from 37 per- would not be appropriate are legally sound. effect among schools that
investigation could inspire cent in 2010. for him to comment on the “Harvard remains com- will wonder if they’ll face
new challenges. The trend partly reflects Justice Department investi- mitted to enrolling diverse scrutiny next.q