The Largest Affirmative Action Program in American Higher Education

Legacy preferences compound existing inequalities by providing admissions benefits to the already enormously advantaged population of largely white, affluent, and privileged children of alumni- exactly the population that is already most likely to attend selective institutions. Because so few legaci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Academe (Washington. 1979) 2012, Vol.98 (1), p.45-48
Main Author: MULLEN, ANN L.
Format: Review
Language:English
Subjects:
Admissions policies
Affirmative action
Children
Civil rights
Colleges & universities
Higher education
Journalists
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Legacy preferences compound existing inequalities by providing admissions benefits to the already enormously advantaged population of largely white, affluent, and privileged children of alumni- exactly the population that is already most likely to attend selective institutions. Because so few legacies are black or Latino, legacy policies have a disparate negative impact on these "wrong ancestor" students. [...] contributors Chad Coffman, Tara O'Neil, and Brian Starr present statistical analyses that cast doubt on the causal claim that legacy preferences lead to increased levels of alumni donations: while institutions employing legacy preferences do see higher levels of giving, the relationship can be explained entirely by the wealth of the admitted students.
ISSN:0190-2946
2162-5247