Harvard University is under complete investigation by the United States Department of Education. The case was opened to inquiry about the admission process of legacies, which gives an advantage to applicants with family ties to alumni. This was made following a complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston. Allegedly, there is preferential treatment for children of alumni who mostly have white skin.
About the situation, a spokesperson for the Department of Education made a statement to Fox News Digital, in which they stated that the Office for Civil Rights is conducting an investigation at Harvard University, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In addition, it was also stated that the university “discriminates on the basis of race by using donor and legacy preferences in its undergraduate admissions process.”
This complaint was filed by a Black and Latino community group on July 3. These groups are located in New England and are currently arguing that students with family ties are seven times more likely to enter Harvard with 70% being white. This contrasts with 2019, back when 28% were legacy students with a parent or another relative who attended this university in the past. About the statistics, the group shared that:
“Qualified and highly deserving applicants of color are harmed as a result, as admissions slots are given instead to the overwhelmingly white applicants who benefit from Harvard’s legacy and donor preferences. Even worse, this preferential treatment has nothing to do with an applicant’s merit. Instead, it is an unfair and unearned benefit that is conferred solely based on the family that the applicant is born into.”
In comparison, Harvard University stated that they will continue working for opening doors for, regardless of students of all backgrounds, skin colors, and ethnicities.