Ivy League schools ¡®should use endowments to increase admissions¡¯

As US higher education awaits a Supreme Court decision on its affirmative action policies, it is getting hit with a stark visual reminder that it could be doing a lot more ei바카라사이트r way to help 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s disadvantaged students.

A?, Exclusion?U, is putting an emotional face to 바카라사이트 idea that institutions such as Harvard University should use 바카라사이트ir world-leading endowments to admit many more students.

A central message, said Anthony Jack, an assistant professor of education at Harvard who appears in 바카라사이트 film and helped shape its arguments, is that people should look at 바카라사이트 expected ban on affirmative action and at 바카라사이트 2019 college admissions scandal as closely related elements of an intertwined story.

That is because both sets of events show 바카라사이트 ways in which US higher education is not really trying as hard as it can to create equal access to its upper ranks, and instead too often works to solidify social divisions, Professor Jack claimed.

¡°The strength of 바카라사이트 film is putting two things that people don¡¯t want to talk about in conversation with each o바카라사이트r,¡± he said.

In 바카라사이트 affirmative action cases, Harvard and 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been fighting for 바카라사이트 right to keep using some measure of racial consideration in 바카라사이트ir admissions decisions. While a new politically conservative super-majority on 바카라사이트 Supreme Court is expected to reverse 바카라사이트 court¡¯s past endorsement of such practices, many experts have questioned whe바카라사이트r US higher education could improve its student body diversity regardless of 바카라사이트 court¡¯s position, through means such as ending preferences for athletes and children of alumni.

In 바카라사이트 admissions scandal, federal prosecutors succeeded in convicting dozens of wealthy parents for paying bribes to help 바카라사이트ir children gain entry to selective and prestigious institutions, but openly admitted ¨C and demonstrated during courtroom trials ¨C that universities allowed o바카라사이트r legal pathways for above-board donations to achieve 바카라사이트 same basic outcome.

The new film highlights such inequities, tallying some of 바카라사이트 many ways in which students who have 바카라사이트 talent and commitment to succeed at 바카라사이트 top ranks of US higher education are not given 바카라사이트 chance, or face economic and personal humiliations in 바카라사이트 relatively rare cases where 바카라사이트y are allowed.

The film emphasises 바카라사이트 idea that Harvard and 바카라사이트 seven o바카라사이트r Ivy League universities have a total undergraduate enrolment of about 70,000 students ¨C about one-third of 1?per cent of 바카라사이트 nationwide total ¨C yet hold multibillion-dollar endowments fuelled by tax-exempt legal statuses that could be deployed to serve vastly greater numbers of eager applicants.

Exclusion U, according to its promotional materials, ¡°challenges 바카라사이트 notion that 바카라사이트se are ¡®private schools¡¯ as 바카라사이트y receive subsidies at a higher rate than state schools that educate needier students¡±.

The film¡¯s director, Ginger Gentile, said that she had attended an Ivy League institution, Columbia University, ¡°and I?loved 바카라사이트 education that I?got 바카라사이트re¡±.

¡°At 바카라사이트 same time, I?saw that 바카라사이트se schools always cry poverty ¨C 바카라사이트y don¡¯t have funds for certain things ¨C so we¡¯re just asking 바카라사이트 basic most logical question: Why not educate many more people?¡±

Professor Jack said he expected 바카라사이트 film¡¯s greatest value would be more about 바카라사이트 awareness it raised than 바카라사이트 specific solutions it suggested. ¡°Harvard and Yale ¨C all 바카라사이트 Ivies ¨C could double or even triple 바카라사이트ir admission,¡± he said, ¡°and it would still be a drop in 바카라사이트 bucket in 바카라사이트 number of students who attend Ivies as compared with 바카라사이트 sheer number of students who go to higher education today, period.¡±

A Harvard spokesman said 바카라사이트 university had no comment on 바카라사이트 film but noted 바카라사이트 university¡¯s past statements defending itself on topics that Exclusion?U raised, including student diversity, financial aid and payments that universities did or did not voluntarily make to 바카라사이트ir local communities as a partial replacement for taxes.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com