Can Harvard Use Application Essays to Discriminate by Race? The University of North Carolina, meanwhile, has eagerly embraced the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action.

August 11, 2023 1 min read

Stephen McGuire, American Council of Trustees and Alumni
Wall Street Journal

Excerpt: When the Supreme Court struck down the University of North Carolina’s affirmative-action program in June, the trustees of its flagship Chapel Hill campus were quick to respond. Embracing the letter and spirit of the law, the board passed a nondiscrimination resolution in July that applies not only to admissions but to hiring and contracting as well. The resolution goes beyond race to prohibit discrimination based on “race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.” . . .
Meanwhile, Harvard, UNC’s co-litigant, has looked for ways to keep discriminating, and so have many other institutions. They focus on one sentence of the court’s ruling: “Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it thr
ough discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”

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