In an opinion piece for The Hechinger Report, Professor Julie J. Park examines the unintended consequences of the Supreme Court’s restrictions on race-conscious admissionsban on affirmative action, arguing they are reshaping college access in ways that disadvantage Black and Latino students. The article describes a “cascade effect,” where underrepresented students denied admission to selective institutions enroll at less selective or flagship institutions, displacing other Black and Latino students to regional, community or for-profit colleges with fewer resources.
While some data suggest enrollment gains at state flagship universities, Park argues this masks deeper inequities across the system.
Without looking deeper, these enrollment gains seem like a “win.” However, the gains are bigger only because these institutions already lost minority students well before the Supreme Court ruling.
We must challenge the narrative that state universities are “winning” with the curtailing of race-conscious admissions. Even gains like greater diversity at public institutions are somewhat illusory.
