He requires colleges to submit data proving they don’t engage in racial discrimination.
One reason it took so long for the Supreme Court to ban the consideration of race in university admissions, which it finally did two years ago in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, is that the justices previously took college administrators at their word. It is a mistake that the Trump administration doesn’t intend to repeat.
A memorandum President Trump signed last week directs colleges that receive federal funding to submit admissions data to the Education Department to ensure that schools aren’t skirting the 2023 decision. Colleges are already required to submit certain data to the government about students they enroll. Now they’ll be compelled to submit detailed information on those who apply.
According to the memo, “the lack of available admissions data from universities—paired with the rampant use of ‘diversity statements’ and other overt and hidden racial proxies—continues to raise concerns about whether race is actually used in admissions decisions in practice.” A majority of Americans from all racial and ethnic backgrounds supported the Supreme Court ruling, and the administration understands that secrecy in the admissions process undermines trust. “American students, parents, and taxpayers should have confidence that our Nation’s institutions of higher education are recruiting and training our next generations with fairness and integrity.”
Continue reading the entire piece here at the Wall Street Journal (paywall)
______________________
Jason L. Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a columnist at The Wall Street Journal, and a Fox News commentator. Follow him on Twitter here.
Photo by Heather Diehl/The Boston Globe via Getty Images