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On the campus of Harvard University, the rich are well represented, with more affluent students than low-income students, 23 to 1.
But the best way to close this vast economic chasm was a matter of deep disagreement in Monday's testimony in the Harvard Admissions Trial.
The case turns on whether Harvard's use of positive discrimination on admission discriminates against US applicants of Asian origin.
But often, it may seem that the vast wealth and privileges of Harvard are also judged.
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"Leave the question to" Harvard is rich, "said US District Judge Allison Burroughs on Monday. She made the gallery laugh during a discussion about the university's $ 39 billion endowment, which rivals the gross domestic product of many countries.
Harvard could embrace a racial avowal and achieve racial and economic diversity if it removed the preferences it gave to the rich and well-connected people, said Richard Kahlenberg, an academic at the Century Foundation's progressive think tank.
Kahlenberg, a longtime advocate of positive action based on socio-economic factors rather than race, said Monday that Harvard could do much more to increase its representation of low-income students on campus.
As for the race, Harvard "does a very good job in getting diversity," said Kahlenberg. "The socio-economic diversity at Harvard is sorely lacking."
Harvard professor Raj Chetty said in 2017 that only 3% of Harvard students belonged to the fifth of the income scale, while 70% belonged to the families of the fifth of the richest people in the country.
In other words, Harvard had 23 times more high-income students than low-income students, according to Kahlenberg.
He argued that Harvard should adopt neutral admission standards with respect to race and give significant weight to low-income students.
He also suggested that the university should give up the benefit it provides to students whose parents have gone to Harvard, donor-related candidates and staff, and its early-entry program, which generally benefits students. attending well-resourced secondary schools with counselors who know how to guide some seniors to compete in this smaller group.
According to Mr. Kahlenberg, the result would be that the share of disadvantaged students, defined as those with family incomes of $ 80,000 or less, would increase at Harvard from 17% to 54%. Harvard would maintain his high academic standards, he said.
This option would keep the percentage of white students at the same level, while slightly increasing the number of American students of Asian and Hispanic origin on campus. However, the number of African-American students would increase from about 14% to 10% according to the Kahlenberg model.
Harvard officials questioned this compromise.
"The racial group that has borne the burden of your race neutral alternatives. . . are African-American students, "said William Lee, an attorney representing Harvard.
Lee argued that Harvard had studied race-neutral alternatives, but failed to meet Harvard's educational goals of attracting high-level and diverse students.
About a decade ago, Harvard abandoned its early action program – a non-binding option in which students apply in November and are offered admission in mid-December. But few other universities have done the same.
And Harvard was losing high academic performances, including well-prepared black and Latino candidates, to the benefit of other colleges, university officials said. Harvard finally brought back the program.
Harvard officials on Monday defended the university's record of attracting students with modest and modest means.
The university offers an advantage, or advantage, to students with modest means, including to American applicants of Asian descent, said Lee. And, he noted, Harvard does not require families earning less than $ 65,000 a year to contribute financially to tuition and the cost of lodging and meals.
However, Harvard's own data shows that the benefit to low-income students is lower than what the university gives to athletes and graduates' children.
Throughout the trial, which began last week, Harvard defended its preferences for alumni parents and donors, claiming that they created a vibrant community and ensured that the university had enough money to provide financial badistance to low – income students.
The movement behind a socio-economic affirmative action plan has gained ground in the United States, as racialized confessions are increasingly under attack and losing popularity among the public.
Several states, including California, Michigan and Washington, have adopted a total ban on race-related admissions in public higher education. This forced them to use other factors to achieve diversity, including economic variables.
In California, where race-related admissions have been banned since 1996, the results are mixed.
The most competitive schools in the public system, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at Los Angeles, experienced the largest declines in the number of black and Latino students and did not return to their previous level to the prohibition.
Less selective colleges in the system returned to pre-ban levels but failed to keep up with the surge in the state's Latin American population during this period, according to a study by Civil Rights UCLA Project.
According to the study, the gap between the percentage of Latino students graduating from California public high schools and that of first year students enrolled in public universities widened from 14 points to 24 points between 1995 and 2014.
Kahlenberg nonetheless asked Monday whether Harvard had fully explored race-neutral alternatives to admission. Over the years, the Supreme Court has restricted the use of race in college admissions. Institutions are still allowed to use race as a selection factor, but they must also show that there is no other alternative to diversity.
Deirdre Fernandes can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @fernandesglobe.
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