Trump Administration Reverses Obama-Era Policy on Affirmative Action
The Trump administration has announced on Tuesday, July 3, that it is rescinding a set of policies, put out during the term of President Obama, that were aimed at promoting diversity quotas and admissions based on race in schools.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement earlier this week, to go with a hit on the previous administration. "When issuing regulations, federal agencies must abide by constitutional principles and follow the rules set forth by Congress and the President," Sessions said, adding that agencies under the previous presidents have imposed rules by posting guidelines on a website and via letters.
"That's wrong, and it's not good government," Sessions pointed out, via CNN.
The rules under the Obama administration gave the Education Department's practice of considering diversity and race in college admissions, providing the legal basis to do so. With the Trump administration rescinding the old guidance, it's their way of de-emphasizing the importance of diversity in both K-12 schools and colleges, as Vox pointed out.
It was an emphasis that has led to a controversial case that now sees Harvard being accused by Asian American students of inherent race bias, with allegations that the top colleges and universities in the country have insisted on maintaining opaque quotas for students of certain races to the extent of excluding Asian-American applicants.
It's an accusation that Harvard has responded to by saying that it is the right of educational institutions to consider race in selections. Harvard had said that it will "continue to vigorously defend its right, and that of all colleges and universities, to consider race as one factor among many in college admissions, which has been upheld by the Supreme Court for more than 40 years," according to spokeswoman Melodie Jackson.
