Department of Education says affirmative action ruling 'threatens to take us backwards'
'Our colleges have lost the most effective tool they ever had for building diverse campus communities,' he continued, adding that the decision 'feels like a new low point' for higher ed.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona blasted the Supreme Court's ruling banning the use of affirmative action in college admissions at the National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.
The U.S Department of Education (DOEd) recently hosted The National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education in Washington D.C.
The July 26 event featured speakers from officials in the DOEd and other Biden Administration offices, as well as top leaders of universities from around the country just weeks after the Supreme Court banned the use of affirmative action in college admissions.
DOEd Secretary Miguel Cardona spoke at the summit.
“[T]his Supreme Court has repeatedly shown a willingness to throw precedent out the window,” said Cardona. “[n]ow, we’re faced with a decision that threatens to take us backwards.”
“Our colleges have lost the most effective tool they ever had for building diverse campus communities,” he continued, adding that the decision “feels like a new low point” for higher education.
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“Many of you innovated and persevered during the height of the pandemic,” Cardona said to the college and university leaders present. “We are asking you to do the same here.”
“We did not ask for this crisis, but we will answer it,” he said.
Inside Higher Ed also reported that the Assistant Secretary of Education in the Office for Civil Rights, Catherine Lhamon, urged event attendees, which included university officials, to continue to push for racial equity in admissions through lawful means. She also reportedly asserted that SCOTUS “did not question the educational value of diverse student bodies.”
Other presenters proposed alternative ways to diversify admissions such as direct admissions or targeting recruitment of minority students. Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said he expected “carefully worded essay questions.”
Shaun Harper, the executive director for the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, called for attendees to take a stand against opposition to DEI and affirmative action, according to Inside Higher Ed. “It is very clear to me that there is a well-organized and funded mis- and disinformation campaign on DEI and diversity. Where is our movement?”
Other Biden administration officials who attended the event included DOEd Under Secretary James Kvaal, White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, Office of Public Engagement Director Steve Benjamin, and DOEd Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clark.
Other university officials who spoke at the summit include Walter Kimbrough, Director of Morehouse College’s Black Men’s Research Institute, Colorado College president Song Richardson, Pomona College president Gabrielle Starr, and Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr.
Campus Reform has reached out to all relevant parties for comment and will update this article accordingly.
