For Viet Nguyen, a
Brown University alumnus and founder of social impact organization EdMobilizer, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ban on affirmative action presents “a terrifying time to think about the future of diversity and inclusion.”
But in the fallout of the decision, Nguyen, who graduated from Brown in 2017, sees an opportunity to abolish a different practice known to drive down diversity at elite institutions: legacy admissions, or the preference universities give to family of alumni when considering applications.
“The momentum [to end legacy admissions] has been moving in a direction that I think a few years ago, we would not have expected,” said Nguyen, whose organization focuses on increasing admission rates and overall success for first-generation college students.
Now Nguyen expects more colleges and universities will begin to phase out legacy admissions, once “a system so entrenched in our current routine that pushing against that and getting universities to change their policies seems unfathomable.”
Nguyen isn’t alone in this push against the practice as higher education officials, now under an increased spotlight, question how they’ll account for the loss of affirmative action measures that they say have assisted them in building or maintaining diversity among students.
Since the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling in June, the universities most known for legacy admissions, such as the Ivy League institutions, haven’t announced changes to this policy. Locally, that includes Brown University.
Following the recent Supreme Court ruling, Brown President Christina H. Paxson wrote in a letter to students that Brown is “conducting a thorough legal review” of the court’s decision, while remaining “firmly committed to advancing the diversity that is central to achieving the highest standards of academic excellence and preparing our students to grow and lead in a complex world.”
But the university declined to comment on its use of legacy admissions.
In response to an inquiry, Brown spokesperson Brian Clark directed PBN to a 2018 opinion piece penned by Dean of Students Logan Powell and published in the Brown Daily Herald, the university’s student newspaper, regarding its stance on legacy admissions.
In that piece, Powell said the university considers legacy status “only after we have established the foundation of ... essential elements” such as academic strength, intellectual curiosity, extracurricular activities and college essays.
“We take a vast range of considerations into account, many of which receive more attention than whether or not a student’s parents attended Brown,” Powell wrote.
He goes on to note, “as part of our commitment to building community at Brown, we pay special attention to children of Brown employees, whether that be a faculty member, a member of our grounds staff, or a library employee.”
Elsewhere in Rhode Island, the
Rhode Island School of Design, which is highly selective and most recently reported a 19% acceptance rate, says it does not consider legacy status in determining who is admitted to the school.
In a statement on the college’s response to the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, spokesperson Danielle Mancuso said that the institution “will take time in the weeks ahead to review and interpret what the U.S. Supreme Court decision means for RISD, following the law in accordance with the recent court ruling while working to ensure an admission process that takes into consideration the full potential of prospective students.
“Throughout this process, we will continue to hold firm to our commitment of fostering an inclusive and diverse community,” Mancuso said.
Since the Supreme Court ruling, Brown has faced renewed challenges to this practice: On July 8, members of the
Black Lives Matter Rhode Island political action committee held a rally on the Brown campus to demand “an end to legacy admissions” while advocating for diversity and equity in universities.
And in Boston, a group called Lawyers for Civil Rights earlier this month filed a lawsuit in federal court against Harvard University, alleging that its usage of legacy admissions is discriminatory.
Diana Hassel, a professor at the
Roger Williams University School of Law, says she doesn’t have a prediction for which side will win that lawsuit. But the complaint and heightened conversation around legacy admissions are exposing a long-standing reality in university admissions, she said.
“Even apart from the lawsuit … a huge percentage of admissions to elite schools are not based on those criteria of SATs and GPAs,” Hassel said. “They’re based on, did your grandfather go here? Is your father on the faculty? Is your mother a donor?”
Eliminating legacy admissions isn’t the only “low hanging fruit” solution that colleges and universities can take to improve diversity and inclusion, Nguyen said, noting that preference given to family of faculty members and donors has a similar role in the admissions process.
