Harvard's Legacy Admissions Policy Hit With Civil Rights Complaint

A civil rights group filed a complaint with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, claiming Harvard University’s legacy admissions policy gives preference to white children of alumni.

Details: The complaint, filed by the Boston-based nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights, comes on the heels of last week’s decision by the Supreme Court ruling affirmative action policies in college admissions to be unconstitutional. A statement from the group argues that following the ruling, “it is even more imperative now to eliminate policies that systematically disadvantage students of color.” Harvard’s admissions process favors applicants from children of Harvard alumni, and the group states that “nearly 70% of Harvard’s donor-related and legacy applicants are white.” 

Key Quotes: The complaint states, “Harvard College grants special preference in its admissions process to hundreds of mostly white students — not because of anything they have accomplished, but rather solely because of who their relatives are.” Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the group's executive director, stated, “Your family's last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should have no bearing on the college admissions process.” 

How the Media Covered It: The complaint is being covered substantially across the spectrum. The Associated Press (Lean Left bias) originally reported that the group was suing Harvard itself, then issued a correction. As of 4:00 EST Monday, some outlets that reposted the Associated Press article, such as CBS News (Lean Left bias), had not updated to reflect the correction.