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Ending legacy admissions is a very quick way to reduce alumni donations. I get the feeling that legacy admissions are actually a benefit for other students bec

Ending legacy admissions is a very quick way to reduce alumni donations. I get the feeling that legacy admissions are actually a benefit for other students because it means that powerful families can become part of your social network. That is a big difference from a state school.

gumby 4y ago
> Ending legacy admissions is a very quick way to reduce alumni donations. MIT is a good counterexample with a large endowment and no legacies.
- protomyth 4y ago
  MIT is a technical school. Legacy admissions are the domain of the Ivy League.
hairofadog 4y ago
I imagine we’ll hear these same justifications from the Supreme Court.
- ensignavenger 4y ago
  I doubt it- is anyone asking the Supreme Court to end legacy admissions? If not, it is unlikely they will rule on it, though it is possible some opinions, most likely desenting ones, may mention it.
  - hairofadog 4y ago
    Oh, maybe not. This Forbes article gave me the impression they were considering both: https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherrim/2022/09/29/will-the-end-of-legacy-admissions-and-affirmative-action-fix-the-ivy-leagues-diversity-problem/?sh=7f7c43014731 https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherrim/2022/09/29/will-...
    - ensignavenger 4y ago
      Hmm, I haven't been following the details of the case, but this prompted some digging. It looks like the suit is not seeking a court ruling on legacy admissions, but that the group behind it is advocating for elimination of them. They have argued that eliminating legacy admissions would do a better job of ensuring diversity. Harvard is arguing that they need legacy admissions to get alumni financial support, and that affirmative action is being used to offset the discriminatory effects of legacy admissions. So while the court is unlikely to force elimination of legacy admissions (no one has asked for that directly, but it is possible that they find some reason to take it to that), they very well might address it and whether or not they believe it to be viable.

gumby 4y ago

> Ending legacy admissions is a very quick way to reduce alumni donations. MIT is a good counterexample with a large endowment and no legacies.

protomyth 4y ago
MIT is a technical school. Legacy admissions are the domain of the Ivy League.

hairofadog 4y ago

I imagine we’ll hear these same justifications from the Supreme Court.

ensignavenger 4y ago
I doubt it- is anyone asking the Supreme Court to end legacy admissions? If not, it is unlikely they will rule on it, though it is possible some opinions, most likely desenting ones, may mention it.
- hairofadog 4y ago
  Oh, maybe not. This Forbes article gave me the impression they were considering both: https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherrim/2022/09/29/will-the-end-of-legacy-admissions-and-affirmative-action-fix-the-ivy-leagues-diversity-problem/?sh=7f7c43014731 https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherrim/2022/09/29/will-...
  - ensignavenger 4y ago
    Hmm, I haven't been following the details of the case, but this prompted some digging. It looks like the suit is not seeking a court ruling on legacy admissions, but that the group behind it is advocating for elimination of them. They have argued that eliminating legacy admissions would do a better job of ensuring diversity. Harvard is arguing that they need legacy admissions to get alumni financial support, and that affirmative action is being used to offset the discriminatory effects of legacy admissions. So while the court is unlikely to force elimination of legacy admissions (no one has asked for that directly, but it is possible that they find some reason to take it to that), they very well might address it and whether or not they believe it to be viable.