The days of so-called “affirmative action” are, in theory, long gone. The Supreme Court struck down the practice of basing college admissions decisions on a student’s race nearly an entire year ago. Even so, it seems that colleges and academic organizations are doing everything they can to find loopholes.
According to a copy of a letter received through Young America’s Foundation’s Campus Bias Tip Line, The College Board is distributing racial “awards” to black, Hispanic, and Native American students.
The organization, which is also responsible for administering the SAT admissions test and developing curriculum for advanced placement (AP) high school courses, pitches its “National Recognition Program” as a “recruitment signal” that students can use to indicate their race or ethnicity.
In addition to qualifying as one of the acceptable races, students must have a B+ or higher grade point average in order to receive a certificate.
On its website, the College Board explains, “Colleges and universities use these honors to identify and contact high-achieving students. When students are opted in, they hear from colleges and universities that want to recruit awardees like them.”
In reaction to the program, Young Americans for Freedom National Chairwoman Jasmyn Jordan said, “It is immoral for colleges and universities to use racial preferences in their admissions processes. No race is better than any other. Everyone deserves equal treatment and deserves to reap the rewards of their hard work, regardless of skin color.”
The College Board doesn’t shy away from its intentions with this program. Whether or not colleges and universities use the “recruitment signal” as intended is difficult to determine definitively, but if they are, they must be stopped immediately.
