‘Legally permissible ways’: Biden admin doubles down on higher ed ‘diversity’ despite Supreme Court ruling

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – The Department of Education (ED) released a report Thursday advising colleges and universities on ways to increase “diversity” after the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against race-based admissions.

The Supreme Court in June struck down race-based admissions decision in two lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina.  The ED guidance advises colleges and universities to “consider students’ experiences overcoming adversity, as well as their sources of personal inspiration, during the admissions process,” according to the report. 

“This report reflects President Biden and Vice President Harris’ unyielding commitment to equal opportunity and provides colleges and universities with a roadmap for advancing student body diversity,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in the press release. “This moment demands leadership, innovation, and collaboration from leaders at every level to break down barriers for underserved students and reimagine pathways into higher education.”

The report states that higher education institutions should perform a “holistic review” in the admission process, which considers an factors including “financial means,” “conditions affecting quality of life,” “access to education within a neighborhood” and “experiences with hardships, including racial discrimination, and other sources of inspiration or demonstration of resiliency.”

“While the SFFA decision limited the ability of colleges and universities to consider an applicant’s race in and of itself as a factor in deciding whether to admit the applicant, there remain legally permissible ways to advance the critical mission of socioeconomic and racial diversity in American colleges and universities,” the report reads.

The report also recommends that colleges and universities consider getting rid of legacy admissions, which grants admission to applicants whose relatives are alumni or are donors.

The Department of Justice and the ED’s Office for Civil Rights released guidance in August advising colleges and universities on how they might be able to increase diversity by weighing ” a student’s background, including experiences linked to their race, have shaped their lives and the unique contributions they can make to campus.”

Cardona did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.