Biden Lays Out Specifics For How Colleges Can Maintain Diverse Student Bodies After Supreme Court Ruling
President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Thursday in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to effectively ban affirmative action from college admissions by ruling race can no longer be a factor in who gets in.
Biden began the speech by agreeing with the dissenting justices on the court and slamming the court for rolling back what he argued was a key policy to ensure diversity of opportunity in the U.S. Biden then offered “guidance” on how he believed colleges could get around the court’s ruling to ensure diversity on campus.
“So today, I want to offer some guidance to our nation’s colleges as they review their admissions systems after today’s decision. Guidance that is consistent with today’s decision,” Biden said, adding:
They should not abandon, let me say this again, they should not abandon their commitment to ensure student bodies of diverse backgrounds and experience that reflect all of America. What I propose consideration is a new standard where colleges take into account the adversity a student has overcome when selecting among qualified applicants.
Let’s be clear. Under this new standard, just as was true under the earlier standard, students first have to be qualified applicants. They need the GPA and test scores to meet the school’s standards. Once that test is met, then adversity should be considered, including a lack of students lack of financial means. Because we know too few students of low-income families, whether in big cities or rural communities, are getting an opportunity to go to college. When a poor kid, may be the first in their family to go to college, get the same grades and test scores as a wealthy kid whose whole family’s gone to the most elite colleges in the country and whose path has been a lot easier.
Well, the kid who faced tougher challenges has demonstrated more grit, more determination. And that should be a factor that colleges should take into account in admissions. And many still do. It also means examining where a student grew up and went to high school. It means understanding that particular hardships that each individual student has faced in life, including racial discrimination that individuals have faced in their own lives.
Biden then quoted from Chief Justice John Roberts’s opinion to lay out how the ruling fits with his strategy. “The court says, quote, ‘Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applications discussion of how race has affected his or her life. But be it through discrimination or inspiration or otherwise,’ end quote.”
“Because the truth is, we all know it. Discrimination still exists in America. Discrimination still exists in America. Discrimination still exists in America. Today’s decision does not change that,” Biden concluded.
Watch the full clip above from MSNBC.
