Local colleges and universities are responding to the recent US Supreme Court decision ending Affirmative Action.
According to Cornell Law School, Affirmative Action was “a set of procedures designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination among applicants, remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future.”
The University of Evansville was first to send a news release responding to the June 29th decision, which was concerning the case Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina.
UE President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz said the university “remains firmly committed to building on our recent progress in diversifying our student body in accordance with these decisions.”
He said they’ll monitor developments and draft fair and legal policies with UE values. Here is the full statement:
"Today's Supreme Court decisions in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina have not changed the University of Evansville's commitment to our mission: to empower students to think critically, act bravely, serve responsibly, and live meaningfully in a changing world.
That requires diversity of experiences, viewpoints, and opinions in our classrooms and on our campus and remains firmly committed to building on our recent progress in diversifying our student body in accordance with these decisions. We will continue to monitor developments in this area and adjust as necessary to ensure that our policies and practices remain fair, legal and in line with the values of our institution.
We will continue to work tirelessly to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone can feel valued and supported. In addition, resources are available for those who wish to take advantage of them through the University's Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Thank you for your continued dedication to our shared commitment of creating a better, more just, and inclusive world."
UE has a student population of about 2,000 students and 73-percent are white.
The University of Southern Indiana (USI) has issued no statement, and Ivy tech is open admissions so they’re not impacted by the decision.
Jace Lux of Western Kentucky University (WKU) said they already weren’t using race as a factor.
“Our admission decisions already were based on an applicant's academic achievement, and they didn't incorporate demographic characteristics, which would include race in determining an applicant's eligibility for admission to the university.”
He said however, they don’t use test scores because they can be a disadvantage to some students. The base GPA is 2.5. WKU also offers financial aid for financially disadvantaged students, tailored to their needs.
Lux said students benefit from a diverse student body.
“I think that the Supreme Court's decision will certainly cause all colleges and universities to make sure that they're doing everything that they can to maintain a diverse enrollment that truly does reflect the world in which our students will be working and living after they graduate college.”
As of last fall, about 22-percent of WKU students, or 3,700, identified as non-white; of those, more than 1,300 were black.
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