Now that the Supreme Court overturned Affirmative Action, wealthy white folks can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Once again, the “Silver Spoon Selection” process, also known as the “Privilege Preference Program” has become the defining process for college admissions.
Seriously, America! If overturning Affirmative Action somehow seems fair, then please, let’s address the glaring hypocrisy of preserving legacy admissions and donor family preferences.
When it comes to race, these two components alone create a significantly disproportionate enrollment process. Legacy admissions, which give preferential treatment to applicants with family ties to an institution, disproportionately benefit privileged students. Similarly, donor family priority admissions, where substantial financial contributions lead to preferential treatment, consistently favor white students and affluent families.
If overturning Affirmative Action in higher education can somehow be justified by arguments against unfair “reverse discrimination,” then maybe we need to first address the glaringly obvious fact that preferential treatment is a form of outright discrimination.
Let’s face it, the current system is designed to amplify existing social and economic disparities. If our end goal is genuine fairness and equal opportunities (which clearly it does not seem to be) then we must ensure that college admission criteria do not inherently perpetuate a system where wealth and privilege are the key determinants of success.
If we believe it it is somehow fair to eliminate Affirmative Action, then we sure as hell need to eliminate Legacy Admissions and Donor Preference when it comes to college admissions. Until we do this, the education gap will inevitably get worse.
