How ruling on race-based admissions could a ect Colorado

Only a few schools in state had factored race into policy

BY JASON GONZALES CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Colorado’s colleges and universities will no longer be allowed to consider race when admitting students, after the nation’s high court recently ruled that admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional.

Only a few Colorado schools factor race into their admissions decisions, including the University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado College and the University of Denver.

e Supreme Court decision to halt 45 years of colleges’ use of race-conscious admissions could reshape campuses here and nationwide.

e decision means the state’s most selective schools won’t be able to consider racial diversity as a factor in enrollment, which could limit the tools they use to balance their student bodies to be more re ective of states and the nation. It also could discourage students from applying to college and deter university o cials from addressing racial inequities on campus, according to experts.

Native American, Black and Hispanic students enroll in college at lower rates than their White and Asian peers.

Ben Ralston, Sachs Foundation president, said race-based admissions were created to rectify systemic inequities that had erected barriers to Black students and students of color. e Colorado Springs-based foundation supports Colorado’s Black communities, including by o ering college scholarships. e majority of Colorado’s public universities and community colleges do not consider race in their admissions decisions. Students of color go to those schools at higher rates than more selective schools but typically have fewer resources. at contributes to lower overall graduation rates.

“ e fact that the federal government is saying that historic inequity is something that they no longer want to address is just a clear signal to the students that we serve that those inequities are going to continue to persist throughout the course of their education and probably the rest of their lives,” Ralston said.

Biden weighs in President Joe Biden said the ruling should not deter colleges from seeking to improve diversity. University administrators in Colorado said that they are working to understand how the ruling will a ect their admissions processes and that they’ll keep working to admit students from a range of backgrounds. at includes putting more weight on students’ personal experiences and removing barriers in the application process.

“Excellence is not de ned by a test score, so this will force us to de ne excellence even better,” said Shanta Zimmer, senior associate dean for education at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Selective colleges typically have more nancial and student support resources that help students of color graduate at higher rates.

In admissions, selective colleges in Colorado largely consider the rigor of classes taken in high school, grade point average, application essays, recommendations, and geo- graphic location. Colorado’s public schools do not consider scores from standardized tests like the ACT and SAT, but some private colleges do. e high court’s decision exempted military academies, on the premise that they are not party to the case and have “potentially distinct interests” that were not considered in the court cases. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor called that distinction essentially arbitrary and said it shows that even the majority doesn’t believe the 14th Amendment prohibits all use of race in admissions.

CU Boulder, Colorado College, the University of Denver and the U.S. Air Force Academy treat academic performance and rigor as the most important factors in deciding whether to accept a student, but they do consider race as well.

CU Boulder unusual

CU Boulder, the state’s agship institution, is the only Colorado state university that considers race in admissions. Public universities in the state have tried to be more representative of the state’s residents — and, in turn, taxpayers who help pay for their operations.

CU Boulder is 65% White, 13% Hispanic and 2% Black, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. In contrast, Colorado’s K-12 population is just 51% White, 35% Hispanic, and 4.6% Black. e school has become slightly more demographically diverse in the last decade. e student population also has grown, and the school is admitting and serving more students who are Black and Hispanic.

In a statement, University of Colorado President Todd Saliman and Philip DiStefano, chancellor of CU Boulder, said the university would continue to use admissions processes that consider “the whole student,” including demographic characteristics and life experiences.

“As we move forward, the University of Colorado will continue to advance our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” they said. “We are steadfast in our belief that a vibrant and inclusive community leads to a richer educational experience for all, contributes to a positive society, and prepares our graduates to excel in an increasingly interconnected and diverse world.”

Jennifer McDu e, CU’s associate vice chancellor of enrollment management, said the university plans an audit of all its admissions practices and sta trainings to gure out what needs to change in response to the ruling. At the same time, CU is looking at what barriers it can reduce in admissions, which may mean expanding nancial aid or removing extra essays from its application process. e university also wants to ensure students from diverse backgrounds feel wanted and welcome, McDu e said.

University of Denver Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said in a statement that his institution would continue to work to build a more diverse study body, for example by prioritizing diverse high schools in its recruitment e orts and working to create a more welcoming campus environment.

“Without question, there is much to learn about how this decision will impact admission processes at the undergraduate and graduate level,” he said. “Legal professionals will apply their expertise to interpreting the decision over the coming days and weeks, and we will make the best choices for DU’s commitment to diversity and our students while complying with the legal landscape.” e Supreme Court decision stems from two cases that were brought by Students for Fair Admissions, an organization headed by Edward Blum, who has spent years ghting admissions policies that consider race. e group alleged that the raceconscious admissions policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina are unfair and discriminate against Asian American applicants, among other allegations. e universities said they needed to take race into account to build a diverse student body, which brings bene ts to the schools and students.

Roberts wrote opinion e majority opinion argues that using race as a factor in admissions inevitably harms groups that aren’t favored by the policy.

In a 6-3 opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court ruled that argument relied on stereotypes about how people of di erent races and ethnicities think and behave.

“College admissions are zero-sum, and a bene t provided to some applicants but not to others necessarily advantages the former at the expense of the latter,” Roberts wrote.

Opponents of the use of race- based admissions had argued that Asian American applicants are harmed by the practice.

But the decision also will have an impact on the Asian American community, said Jennifer Ho, a University of Colorado Boulder professor. While Asian Americans are highlighted in the case, they have a mixed view on a rmative action and using race in admissions, according to a Pew Research Center study.

While some Asian American communities are highly educated, many struggle to get to college, such as Hmong, Laotian and Cambodian students, and those from Myanmar, Ho said.

“Asian American students who are from Southeast Asian groups are vastly underrepresented in colleges and universities and have some of the lowest graduation rates from high school by percentage,” said Ho, a professor of Asian American studies.

Many Asian Americans have also bene ted from race-based admissions policies, Ho said, including herself.

“My guess is that some of the parents who are driving the narrative that a rmative action is harming their children have actually been the bene ciary of a rmative action policies,” she said.

Last case was in 2016 e last time the Supreme Court took up a rmative action was in

2016, when it upheld that colleges and universities can use race in admissions. e makeup of the court has since shifted to a more conservative majority.

Data from states that previously banned the use of race in admissions provide a look at what may happen nationwide.

After California and Michigan banned the use of race in admissions, the share of Black, Latino and Indigenous students at several of the most selective universities fell sharply. ose gures tended to tick back up with time, but never fully rebounded — and they still fail to represent the racial diversity of high school graduates in those states, the Boston Globe reported.

When colleges become less racially diverse, students of color often feel the schools are less welcoming — which could discourage Black and Latino students from applying or staying in college. at matters because Black and Latino students are more likely to bene t from the social capital that comes from attending a top college.

Ralston said more of his students have chosen to go to historically Black colleges and universities because some schools have felt like less of a place for them. He expects that portion to increase as students feel less inclined to consider a school that’s less diverse.

Experts nationwide say it’s hard to boost admissions of Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented students without considering race. Some people worry the ruling will discourage universities from even trying, for fear of running afoul of the ruling.

Kelly Slay, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University, said states could consider sending more resources to colleges that serve higher numbers of students of color. CU Boulder’s Ho said that schools could also try to diversify their student bodies by considering the economic background of students or whether they’re the rst in their family in the United States to attend college.

Advocate Satra Taylor said she hopes foundations will step up scholarship o ers to get students of color to college.

“No matter what, we’re going to have to be proactive,” said Taylor, higher education director of Young Invincibles, which works on promoting student voice in policy debates, “and we’re going to have to ensure that we’re creating equitable access pathways for students from marginalized backgrounds.”

Administrators at the University of Colorado said they are committed to just that. McDu e pointed to recent initiatives such as a partnership with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe that provides free tuition to some tribe members and a program that pays for travel and lodging for students and families from Colorado’s rural San Luis Valley to visit campus.

SEE RULING, P23