HBCUs Expect Influx After SCOTUS Ruling Admissions Might Get More Competitive, Resources Scarce

BY SYDNEY ROSS

HBCUs across the country are expecting an influx in applications following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject affirmative action in the college admissions process.

Ending in a 6-3 ruling, the landmark decision is a result of a lawsuit against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill deeming race-conscious admissions practices in higher education unconstitutional.

The ruling was no surprise to many scholars and educators, including Eddy Carder, Ph.D., professor of constitutional law and philosophy at Prairie View A&M, who said he is more disappointed than surprised because the decision takes away from the overall purpose of affirma- tive action.

“Affirmative action aimed at increasing representation of minorities in areas of academics and employment,” Carder said.

“This decision misconstrues that foundational premise behind the history of affirmative action.”

Syb Brown, Ph.D., the NABJ academic representative and professor at Belmont University, agreed and advised people to begin strategizing for when the ruling goes into effect in January.

“We’ve already seen partial impact in Texas at Texas A&M. One of our fellow NABJ members and professors was offered a watered-down contract,” Brown said, referring to the case of Kathleen McElroy, who this week settled a lawsuit with the university after it reduced an offer of a tenuretrack position to a one-year contract.

“The fallout now has been the loss of a president, a dean, a department and, unfortunately, this is just the beginning,” Brown said.

Institutions across the country are now scrambling to find ways to ensure diversity setback in efforts to better the American college system, Cardona expressed that this ruling will only galvanize the education department, and groups across the country to find more effective ways of diversifying college campuses.

Cardona explained that the Department of Education launched three initiatives to battle the striking down of Affirmative Action: providing guidance from DOJ and White House lawyers to college presidents within 45 days of the ruling.

“We brought in over 120 college presidents and civil rights leaders to the Department of Education to see where do we go from here,” Cardona said. “The ideas that came out of that and the regional conversations we’re having across the country, will drive a report that we’re going to publish in September with practices for increasing diversity on campuses.”

Cardona placed great emphasis on how valuable and important HBCUs are and that they need and deserve support.

Historically, HBCUs have been severely underfunded, and a recent admission of the underfunding was demonstrated by the state of Maryland setting a lawsuit with its four HBCUs, Morgan State University, Coppin State University, Bowie State University, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore, for $577 million paid out over the next decade.

“The administration provided more funding [to HBCUs], a total of like seven billion dollars, but what we also did was we listened better,” Cardona said. “We listened to our HBCU partners and heard from them that not only do they need funding now, with the pandemic, but there has been historic underfunding.” and inclusive student bodies on their campuses as racial gaps in student demographics are expected to rise at predominantly white institutions.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks with journalist Errin Haines Thursday at NABJ.

“If you’re a Black student going into a place like that, there won’t be the support, and it won’t be financial support,” said Walter Kimbrough, former president of Philander Smith College and Dillard University. “That’s going to be less of an incentive to go there, which is going to drive people to HBCUs.”

HBCUs across the country are now working to fill this gap and further develop talents that other institutions turn away.

“I suspect that many students of color will opt to apply for admission to HBCUs as a practical result of the decision,” Carder said. “This could have a burdening effect on HBCUs and their resources, such as technology, physical space and faculty-to-student ratios.”

Not only will the lack of resources be a concern, but HBCU admission might become tougher.

“They’re going to be more competitive for fewer seats,” Kimbrough said. “Everybody can’t go to Howard and Morehouse and A&T. They will not be able to add enough space to handle the demand automatically. So those students will have to go somewhere else.”

That “somewhere else” will be smaller HBCUs that make up a large portion of the institutions across the country, according to Kimbrough.

“Everybody can’t go to the big namebrand institutions,” Kimbrough said. “Maybe they’ll go to a second-level institution that is really strong but doesn’t have the same brand recognition.”

The Biden-Harris administration has made several proposals to clarify college admissions in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, according to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who spoke on Thursday at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention and Career Fair in Birmingham.

“We see you, and we need you on campus,” Cardona told convention attendees. “You make our universities better. We are going to keep fighting to make sure you have a seat at the table.”

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