The US Education Secretary to President Joe Biden said he’s willing to use “whatever levers” are at his disposal, including federal funding, to stop institutions from giving alumni and donor children precedence for admission.
Following the recent Supreme Court decision against affirmative action, US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona stated in an interview with The Associated Press that legacy admissions must be reviewed for the purpose of diversity on campuses. Cardona went beyond what he had previously mentioned when he claimed he would think about taking tougher action to stop the practise.
Cardona stated on Wednesday, “I would be interested in using whatever influence I have as US Education Secretary to make sure, especially if we are disbursing financial aid and loans, that we are doing so for institutions that are producing value. He said it in response to a question about utilising government funds as a reward or punishment for legacy admissions.
Since the Supreme Court ruled in June that universities can no longer take applicants’ race into account, legacy admissions—long viewed as a benefit for the white and rich at selective colleges—have come under increasing scrutiny. Critics claim that by outlawing affirmative action but retaining legacy preferences, the court made admissions even more biassed in favour of students of colour.
Cardona didn’t go into detail about his possibilities, but the federal government is in charge of huge sums of money that are distributed to institutions in the form of research grants and financial help for students. For racial discrimination and other civil rights infractions, the Education Department may also impose fines.
Harvard University is the subject of a recent investigation by the commission after a federal lawsuit claimed that legacy admissions constitute racial discrimination.
In response to the affirmative action ruling, a few tiny colleges disavowed legacy admissions, but there has been no indication that this will change at the top of American universities.
Some universities and alumni stand by the practise, arguing that it fosters community and promotes giving. Additionally, they contend that as universities diversify, students of colour and their families benefit more and more.
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Cardona, who graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree after attending a technical high school, has joined his voice to the critics of the practise, including activists, civil rights organisations, and Democratic lawmakers.
“Your last name could get you into a school, or the fact that you can write a cheque could get you into a school,” the man stated. The use of affirmative action to advance diversity, however, “that tool was taken away.”
Even yet, he refrained from endorsing the kind of ban that some Democrats in Congress and some states have called for. According to Cardona, it should be under local authority, with universities having the last say.
He declared, “The US Education Secretary is not issuing any orders.”
Cardona cautioned that if nothing was done, the country would experience the same losses that California had after ending affirmative action in 1996. Black and Latino enrollment fell precipitously at the most elite universities in the state, and it never fully recovered.
“What chance do we have competing against China if we take the same path that California did when they eliminated affirmative action?” said Cardona. “This goes beyond just creating inclusive learning settings. This is about the power of our nation.
Advocates have additionally urged the Education Department to begin gathering information on the quantity and characteristics of legacy students.
James Murphy, a deputy director at nonprofit think tank Education Reform Now, expressed his optimism that more universities will volunteer to abandon it. “I think they need to keep the pressure on and bring it to light,” the speaker said.
Other matters:
— During the conversation, Cardona opined that kids ought to be taught about slavery’s impacts, particularly those that persist today. According to him, the notion that some African Americans were inferior persisted even after slavery was abolished, and the nation is now suffering as a result of unjust lending and housing regulations implemented in more recent decades.
“What we don’t want to do is conceal the facts and pretend that it never occurred or that everything was alright when it was over. I absolutely don’t want to educate that individuals who were enslaved benefited from that, he declared.
His comments were a covert allusion to new Florida education standards, supported by the state’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis, which call for teaching about how those who were held in slavery acquired skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.”
Conservatives have campaigned for limitations on how schools can discuss issues of race and slavery in numerous states.
He asserted that “schools should be open, period,” notwithstanding a fresh COVID-19 surge. He stated, “I worry about government overreach, sending down decrees that will result in school closures because people are either afraid to go in or are infected and can’t go.”
He claimed that the early pandemic school closures destroyed the feeling of community and that face-to-face instruction “should not be sacrificed for ideology.”
Cardona refrained from speculating on the details of the administration’s new plan to cancel student loans or on the possibility that a final rule will be in place before to the 2024 presidential race. He declared, “We’re going to get to work as soon as we can. “We are aware that there are borrowers and students who are waiting. Right now, so many people are having difficulty rising again.
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