Dr. Mother Love & Cool TLC discusses the fall out over ending Legacy admissions.

The Supreme Court's June decision to ban affirmative action came in response to lawsuits that challenged the policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) by claiming race-conscious student admissions programs discriminate against white and Asian American applicants. The recent Supreme Court decision to ban the consideration of race in college admissions is poised to have a significant impact on school access and student body composition, in both direct and indirect ways.

The expectation, based on states that have already banned affirmative action, is that Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous enrolment will decline, perhaps precipitously, under the new rules. The impact of the decision is already being felt in less direct but similarly impactful ways. In Missouri and Kentucky, government and school officials are interpreting the decision as banning not only race-based admissions policies but also scholarships reserved for minority students. This means that some of the minority students admitted under the new regime might not be able to afford to go to the schools of their choice.

The tradition of "Legacy" college admissions is under fire. The practice of more favorably viewing university applicants whose parents are alumni is known as “legacy” admission or preference. Colleges that offer legacy admissions defend the practice, saying legacy status is one of many factors that are considered and that it helps them build lasting relations with their alumni, whose donations can make financial aid possible to other applicants. Several studies have shown that legacy admissions overwhelmingly favor wealthy and white applicants, and critics have described the practice as reverse affirmative action — benefiting such students at the cost of. applicants of color and other disadvantaged groups.