The Trump administration recently announced plans to reverse a number of policy memos outlining how institutes of higher learning can use race as a factor in admissions. The policies were enforced during the Obama administration as a way to achieve student diversity.
Trump’s decision follows the announcement of US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement this year. His retirement means that the Supreme Court will lose an important vote in favor of affirmative action.
The NAACP and The American Council of Education expressed opposition to the government’s decision. The latter have even declared intentions to ignore it, commenting that reversing the policies and guidelines would be detrimental to all students of color.
The NAACP states that the Trump administration is undermining the benefits of diversity in colleges and rolling back quality education accessible for all students by encouraging colleges to not consider race during the admission process.
Yale and Harvard also expressed disdain, among other Ivy League schools. They find guidance and rules will become less clear if these policies are rescinded, giving universities opportunities to set their own policies and procedures, which may be at the expense of racial and ethnic diversity.