Colleges' Family Ties Draw Fire

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | 1-14-03 | DANIEL GOLDEN

[SJackson]

High Court cases challenging race-based preferences in college admissions may have an impact on a longer-standing preference: the one favoring children of alumni, which many argue favors primarily whites.

With two cases challenging affirmative action at the University of Michigan pending before it, the Supreme Court will soon decide the fate of race-based preferences in college admissions. But the cases also may affect the future of a longer-standing kind of preference: the one favoring children of alumni.

[Mo1]

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[rellimpank]

--"legacy enrollment"--another stupidity that would make no difference to me if no Federal tax money went to the institution that wants to practise it--

[basil]

From my experience, many of the alums give large donations and bequeaths to their alma mater's, so it makes sense that their offspring gets a perk or two. I have several friends who have given literally millions of dollars to their schools, and know of many others who have done the same. The schools and government would be very wise to back off from trying to end the legacy program, IMHO

[Verginius Rufus]

Edward M. Kennedy may have been a legacy student at Harvard, but only after first having attending and having been expelled from Yale.

[rellimpank]

--it's perfectly fine with me whatever they do with their money as long as my tax dollar isn't contributed--

--and to the other poster, I believe the illustrious Kennedy had to be content with the U of West Virginia after his expulsion fron the Ivy League--

[Vineyard]

But think about this .... what if the typical "legacy student" was someone who paid full tuition - and the school had no worries about coming up with financial aid, grants, work-study jobs, etc. And compare that student with someone who needs grants, waiver of part of the tuition, etc. Which one do you think the school should select?

IMHO ... schools should be allowed to add to the "scoring" whether or not the student will need financial aid, or pays full freight.

I am all in favor of giving the student with high SAT scores, excellent record, etc. the aid, assistance, etc. ... but if we have two nearly identical students applying for a college, why would it not be in the best interest to accept the student that can afford to pay?

Mike

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[dennisw]

Now, calls to abandon the legacy preference are on the rise from minority groups and politicians who see it as a perpetuation of class distinction and white advantage.

SURE THING as long as affirmative action BS is gotten rid of everywhere.

[CatoRenasci]

Teddy went to the University of Virginia after he was kicked out of Harvard. When i was in college in Virigina in the mid-1960's I met state troopers who had arrested Teddy for drunk driving on several occasions. Joe's money always hushed things up. No one in Virigina I met had any respect for Teddy 'A blond in every pond' Kennedy.

[CatoRenasci]

Most of the top 100 or so schools claim admission is 'need-blind'. That may be generally true, but at most of those places, close questioning of the admissions staff will reveal that isn't completely true. At the margins, where they're filling the last 10-20% of the class and have already made their financial aid offers to the most desireable students, many of the top liberal arts colleges and some of the ivies and ivy-wannabees will look at the financial picture and are more likely to accept a student who will pay full freight than one who needs a full ride. This is even more strongly the case with respect to waiting lists.

This does not trouble me.

[dennisw]

Big big diff. The parents of the legacy students actually shell out cold hard cash in alumni contributions. Therefore subsidizing the edumacashuns of aggrieved minorities via upkeep, scholarships etc. (Yes I know that many minority students have no chip on their shoulder and are grateful to get this education)

Show me the money baby!

[Catspaw]

At Ivy League schools, there's generally enough private money from donations to pay the full ride for a student who qualifies academically, but cannot afford to pay for books, tuition and other expenses.

[robertpaulsen]

A "legacy preference" is color blind. Yes, there may indeed be more white than black admitted under this scheme.

But then maybe we should examine "sports preferences" (which include scholarships, BTW). This too is color blind, but what is the racial make-up of the recipients?

Would the author suggest eliminating both?

[irishfest]

Comparing legacy preference and affirmative action (race based preference) is comparing apples and oranges. The "protected class" of race has been a useless distinction for some time. Affirmative Action is nothing more than race based discrimination and has no place in this world.

[rellimpank]

--sorry to have insulted the U of WV by suggesting that Kennedy went there--and no fault of Virginia that he ended up there--

My only point in all of this is that I would like to see federal funding of all sorts to any educational institution with the accompanying federal interference end--the financial "crisis" that would result would force these bastions of incompetence, featherbedding and left-wing politics to retrench, hopefully (wishfully thinking?) to educate post high school students in useful pursuits--

[SJackson]

I'd be happy to see a decline in "sports preferences", as well as legacys, which I think are particularly pernicious in public institutions where state residents are being displaced. The author fails to make this distinction. Of course neither issue should be decided by the federal government or in the courts.

[SJackson]

I am all in favor of giving the student with high SAT scores, excellent record, etc. the aid, assistance, etc. ... but if we have two nearly identical students applying for a college, why would it not be in the best interest to accept the student that can afford to pay?

As a pratical matters, as most schools that's what happens, as aid availability isn't unlimited. There's no need to rate applicants up or down based on financial need.

[Verginius Rufus]

Actually, I believe he was kicked out of Yale (for getting another student to take a Spanish test for him), went into the Navy, then went to Harvard and graduated from there. He went to U.Va. law school. I think John W. Dean of Watergate notoriety was his roommate at U.Va., or at least his classmate.