Turns out that 57 years of affirmative action has resulted in a lowering of entrance standards for many colleges and universities for blacks and (some) Hispanics while narrowing entrance policies for white, Jewish and Asian students. Understand that "affirmative action" (the law) is one thing, guidance letters from the executive branch expanding that law while circumventing Congress, is quite another. Once again, Obama's authoritarian dictates (i.e. "guidance letters) designed to be a continuing part of his legacy had Clinton won the election, returns to the dust from whence it came. The following NY Times article gives a reasonable review of the Trump administrative doctrine effecting Obama's expansion of Affirmative Action as a law.
WASHINGTON —
The Trump administration said Tuesday that it was abandoning Obama
. . . . . . .
administration policies that called on universities to consider race as a
factor in diversifying their campuses, signaling that the
administration will champion race-blind admissions standards.
In
a joint letter, the Education and Justice Departments announced that
they had rescinded seven Obama-era policy guidelines on affirmative
action, which, the departments said, “advocate policy preferences and
positions beyond the requirements of the Constitution.”
“The
executive branch cannot circumvent Congress or the courts by creating
guidance that goes beyond the law and — in some instances — stays on the
books for decades,” said Devin M. O’Malley, a Justice Department
spokesman.
Striking a softer tone,
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wrote in a separate statement: “The
Supreme Court has determined what affirmative action policies are
constitutional, and the court’s written decisions are the best guide for
navigating this complex issue. Schools should continue to offer equal
opportunities for all students while abiding by the law.”
A highly anticipated case is pitting Harvard against Asian-American students
who say one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions has
systematically excluded some Asian-American applicants to maintain slots
for students of other races. That case is clearly aimed at the Supreme
Court.
“The whole issue of using race
in education is being looked at with a new eye in light of the fact
that it’s not just white students being discriminated against, but
Asians and others as well,” said Roger Clegg, the president and general
counsel of the conservative Center for Equal Opportunity. “As the
demographics of the country change, it becomes more and more
problematic.”
Read the full article, here.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/politics/trump-affirmative-action-race-schools.html
