On June 29, 2023, the admissions process for institutions of higher learning throughout the United States, including at the University of Connecticut, changed overnight. With the Supreme Court’s decision to the case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, alongside a partnered case at the University of North Carolina, the consideration of race in college admissions was officially banned.
“Held: Harvard’s and UNC’s admissions programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,” stated the Court’s official decision.
In a 6-3 ruling, the precedent set by 2003 case Grutter v. Bollinger, which, in the words of Justice Sandra Day-O’Connor, declared, “in the context of its individualized inquiry into the possible diversity contributions of all applicants, the law school’s race-conscious admissions program does not unduly harm nonminority applicants,” was found unconstitutional.
The reaction from UConn administrators to the abrupt shift in admissions procedures was one of overwhelming concern for its potential implications on equitable access to higher education.
“The university and its president do not typically comment on cases before the court or its decisions unless those decisions have a direct impact on UConn,” noted university President Radenka Maric in a statement published to UConn Today. “This one unquestionably does impact us – and we are deeply dismayed and disappointed by it.”
Although university spokespeople and admissions officers both declined to comment on any compensatory changes made to the consideration process, the inability to account for the cultural background of prospective students has heightened the importance of community outreach programs.
In an effort to minimize impacts on the diversity of UConn’s student body, President Maric noted that, “outreach to community-based organizations and urban school districts, and partnering with existing campus programs in schools, colleges, centers, and institutes,” would become a key tool in securing opportunities for marginalized applicants, per UConn Today.
One such group, Hartford Communities That Care, services the students of greater-Hartford as they prepare to graduate high school and potentially enter the world of higher education.
“Equalizing education requires addressing inequities in course access, improving school environments, enhancing parent-teacher communication, and providing emotional support” states HCTC’s 2024 educational policy brief.
Antoine Chisholm, the leader of HCTC’s 2023-2024 Child Safety Cohort and a third-semester UConn student, explained some of the practical ways the nonprofit group prepares students for a professional life after high school.
“It’s helpful in getting down to brass tacks, how to apply for loans, what are loans, what is the world that you’re about to get into,” said Chisholm. “In Hartford, the education system isn’t the most proactive in telling their students how exactly to prepare for college.”
Students are given the tools they need to apply for admission into academia, with workshops on money management, scholarship application and how to build a schedule.
The strategy of community outreach has proven itself powerful in maintaining a diverse incoming class, with the class of 2028’s tentative demographic data, provided on the tenth day of classes, largely mirroring the data of the previous year’s admissions. The percentage of students from groups underrepresented in higher education for both the class of 2027 and 2028 sat at 27%, and students of color composed 47% of this year’s incoming class compared to the prior year’s 43%, per UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz.