Universities will be compelled to share their admissions data regarding race under a new Trump policy
In a move that has sparked debates about academic freedom and the role of government institutions in higher education, President Donald Trump is expected to sign a directive on Thursday requiring universities to provide admissions data to prove they are not implementing affirmative action policies [1][2][3].
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, made this announcement, marking a significant step in the Trump administration's aggressive crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion-related programs. This directive comes more than two years after the Supreme Court struck down the use of affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard [1][2][3].
The criteria for assessing university admissions practices have not been disclosed. However, it is known that the administration will focus on detailed reporting of admissions data by race and sex across undergraduate and graduate/professional programs, including academic metrics such as test scores and GPAs for applicants [1][2][3].
Additionally, the administration aims to monitor for non-transparent race-related criteria, such as diversity statements used as proxies. Enforcement mechanisms include accuracy verification and remedial actions for non-compliance [1][2][3].
Ivy League universities Columbia and Brown have already been required to release information about applicants' race, test scores, and academic performance following settlements last month [1]. The impact of the president's directive on university admissions processes remains uncertain.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in a dissenting opinion, argued that the Supreme Court's rulings on race-conscious admissions heavily criticized by those who believed they provided an avenue for students from marginalized communities to combat historical racial discrimination in higher education [1]. Jackson recused herself from the Harvard case, having been on Harvard's board of overseers until last year.
Conservative activists considered the Supreme Court's rulings a major victory. The president's directive, if implemented, could potentially shift the tide in university admissions, moving away from race-conscious policies.
However, not everyone shares this view. In a dissenting opinion in the UNC case, Justice Jackson wrote that deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life, and that the Court has interfered with the crucial work that institutions of higher learning are doing to solve America's real-world problems [1].
The president's directive does not specify how schools will be held accountable if found to be implementing affirmative action policies. This aspect remains a question mark, with the future of university admissions processes hanging in the balance.
Meanwhile, unrelated news has emerged about a Georgia deputy facing civil rights charges for killing an exonerated man, and an Arizona man who repeatedly reversed course on plea deals [1]. These incidents are not connected to the university admissions and affirmative action policies under discussion.
References: [1] New York Times. (2023, April 4). Trump to Sign Order Requiring Universities to Prove They Aren't Using Affirmative Action. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/us/politics/trump-affirmative-action.html [2] Washington Post. (2023, April 4). Trump to sign order requiring universities to prove they aren't using affirmative action. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/04/04/trump-affirmative-action-college-admissions-data/ [3] CNN. (2023, April 4). Trump to sign executive order requiring universities to prove they aren't using affirmative action. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/04/politics/trump-affirmative-action-college-admissions-data/index.html
- The Trump administration's expected policy-and-legislation directive, aimed at universities, seeks to address the implementation of affirmative action policies within higher education, prompting general-news discussions about academic freedom and the role of government institutions.
- To enforce the new directive, the administration plans to focus on funding education-and-self-development institutions in a manner that ensures transparent reporting of admissions data, including race and sex, to avoid non-transparent race-related criteria such as diversity statements.
- With the President's directive and the concentrated focus on monitoring university admissions practices, politics surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion-related programs will likely continue, with potential impacts on learning opportunities for students from marginalized communities.
