The Supreme Court declared on Thursday in a landmark ruling that race cannot be a factor in college admissions, effectively striking down the affirmative action admissions policy and prompting colleges to seek new approaches for achieving diverse student bodies.
The six-justice conservative majority refuted the admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, emphasized that students should be evaluated as individuals, not based on race but judged by their merits. This legislation puts an end to the more than 40 years of affirmative action law that was designed to foster racial diversity in prestigious universities.
The ruling’s effects are not limited to Harvard and UNC, as it sets a precedent to shape admissions policies and practices across the country.
San Francisco State University President Lynn Mahoney released a statement on Thursday at 5:19 p.m., addressing the timing of the ruling, which happens to be a week before the Fourth of July.
“It will strike some as ironic, even tragic, that the Supreme Court of the United States chose the week before the July 4th holiday to declare the use of race in college admissions unconstitutional given a goal of its practice was to achieve the equality promised in the Declaration of Independence,” Mahoney wrote in an email. “SF State and the CSU embrace this work. Today I highlight three initiatives that demonstrate our commitment to inclusion and social justice. I will share longer updates in the future and encourage you to follow the progress.”
The three programs listed in the email were: Black Student Success Workgroup: Improving Black Student Success and Elevating Black Excellence, the CSU promising the publication of a forthcoming assessment of CSU Title IX and Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation (DHR), and “CSU efforts to meet the goals of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and California NAGPRA.”
“Clearly, there is much to be done to right the path of justice,” Mahoney wrote.
