Should college essays touch on race? Some feel the affirmative action ruling leaves them no choice

March 27, 2024 1 min read

Collin Binkley, Annie Ma and Noreen Nasir
Associated Press

Excerpt: When she started writing her college essay, Hillary Amofa told the story she thought admissions offices wanted to hear. About being the daughter of immigrants from Ghana and growing up in a small apartment in Chicago. About hardship and struggle.

Then she deleted it all. When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in higher education, it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. For many students of color, instantly more was riding on the already high-stakes writing assignment. Some say they felt pressure to exploit their hardships as they competed for a spot on campus.

Click here for link to full article

Leave a comment


Also in National Free Speech News & Commentary

Florida to create less "woke" university accreditation system, Gov. DeSantis says

June 26, 2025 1 min read

CBS News Miami 

Excerpt: Florida is working with university leaders from five other Southern states to form a new higher-education accrediting body, Gov. Ron DeSantis and officials from the other states announced Thursday.

The Commission for Public Higher Education, which will need federal approval, would be an alternative to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, a longtime accrediting agency that has clashed with Florida education leaders in recent years.

Read More
Cornell Hired Based on Race, Internal Documents Show

June 26, 2025 1 min read 1 Comment

Christopher F. Rufo, Ryan Thorpe 
City Journal 

Excerpt: In recent months, Ivy League universities have changed their tune on “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Under pressure from President Trump, these institutions have renamed DEI departments, scuttled unpopular programs, and assured the administration that they are following the law. As Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff explained in February: “Just as we do not exclude anyone at Cornell for reasons irrelevant to merit, neither do we . . . hire or promote employees, award chairs or tenure, or make any other merit-driven decisions at Cornell based on race, ethnicity, or other attributes.”

Kotlikoff’s statement was unequivocal, but according to a trove of internal documents we have obtained, it was also untrue.

Read More
Texas Asks Colleges to Identify Undocumented Students

June 25, 2025 1 min read

Susan H. Greenberg
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: Public colleges and universities in Texas have been asked to identify which of their students are undocumented so they can be charged out-of-state tuition, The Texas Tribune reported. The move follows a district court ruling earlier this month that prohibits students who are not legal residents from paying in-state tuition.

In a letter to the state's public college presidents last week, Texas Higher Education commissioner Wynn Rosser wrote that “each institution must assess the population of students who have established eligibility for Texas resident tuition … who are not lawfully present and will therefore need to be reclassified as non-residents and charged non-resident tuition.”

Read More