Temple student government condemns recent Supreme Court rulings

Temple University’s Student Government (TSG) recently released a statement on Instagram denouncing two recent Supreme Court decisions. 

TSG criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling that declared race-based college admissions unconstitutional at the University of North Carolina and Harvard and also condemned its ruling in the case Lori Smith, a Colorado website designer. The Court determined that the state of Colorado did not have the right to force Smith to create websites for same-sex weddings. 

“The Temple Student Government is deeply disheartened by the recent decisions made by the Supreme Court of the United States regarding striking down affirmative action, as well as their decision to favor Lorie Smith. Both of these decisions represent more significant issues embedded in our nation in racial inequality and a lack of protection for the LGBTQ+ community.”

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TSG’s statement concluded with a plea for higher education institutions to focus on upholding diversity and inclusion and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. 

In an email to Campus Reform, Lauren Jacob, the vice president of TSG, wrote that the statement was approved by TSG’s cabinet members and was released due to the “magnitude and seriousness of the situation.” 

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She and other members of the cabinet campaigned on “equality policies,” and says she will uphold campaign promises through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. As part of the plan, TSG will fill the role of “Director of Student Affairs and Inclusion,” Jacob said. 

When Campus Reform contacted Temple University, Director of Communications Steve Orbanek replied with a link to the university’s initial announcement addressing the Court’s affirmative action ruling:

The pendency of the recent Supreme Court decision in two cases regarding affirmative action caused institutions of higher education across the country to examine their practices and reflect on their values. Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College is now the law of the land, regardless of your perspective. We and other institutions of higher education must now determine how to abide by the decision while promoting the values we cherish and ensuring the best experiences for our students. ‘How’ we do this will evolve; ‘why’ remains abundantly clear.  

Campus Reform continues to track universities’ responses to recent Supreme Court rulings. More stories regarding this issue are expected. 

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