On June 29, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions. In its aftermath, University administrators and student organizers alike are wondering what it means for the future.

Leaders at Columbia and Barnard have begun to respond after the Supreme Court’s June 29 ruling that race-conscious college admissions policies are in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The ruling, made in two companion cases filed by the group Students for Fair Admission against both Harvard and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, effectively struck down affirmative action programs.

In the hours after the ruling, both Columbia College Dean Josef Sorrett and Barnard President Laura Rosenbury made statements to their respective student bodies, the full texts of which can be found below. In Rosenbury’s email to students, the newly-inaugurated president stated that, “For the past several months, leaders at the College have been meeting to anticipate and plan for what this ruling might require of us to adapt and fulfill our mission to build a richly diverse student body,” and said the college will continue to provide updates about its strategy moving forward. Similarly, Dean Sorrett shared Columbia’s official statement, and wrote that the college “remain[s] committed to fostering and sustaining a diverse community of students as a core value central to our mission.”

Thursday’s rulings effectively overturned the landmark 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, in which outgoing Columbia President Lee Bollinger (Law ’71), then president of the University of Michigan, successfully defended Michigan’s use of affirmative action in its admissions process. At the time, the Court ruled that colleges that employed affirmative action to favor “underrepresented minority groups” were not in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, so long as race was not the sole determining factor in the admissions process. 

Notably, while the Court’s ruling in the Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill cases deemed race-based affirmative action programs unconstitutional, it left open the possibility that colleges may consider discussion of an applicant’s racial or ethnic identity in their personal essay. 

Across campus, student groups quickly began preparing their responses. In a joint statement with the Black Students Organizations at every Ivy League college, the Columbia Black Students Organization condemned the Supreme Court decisions and reaffirmed its support for race-conscious affirmative action, writing, “unless meaningful action is taken the Court’s ruling will likely act as a catalyst in decreasing the Black student population in universities all over the country.” Additionally, the statement called on Ivy League universities at large to act on their commitments to diversity by including marginalized students in their plans to further cultivate diverse student bodies, and to be transparent with Black students about their planned responses to the ruling. 

In a joint statement with Club Zamana and CU Bangla, the Pakistani Students Association (PSA) similarly condemned the Supreme Court’s decision, writing, “to outlaw only race-conscious admissions while still keeping other forms of affirmative action, which places an advantage to groups with greater resources, is hypocritical and hurts those who need it the most.”

Further, PSA took issue with what it called the use of the “model minority” myth in the cases brought by Students for Fair Admission, i.e. the argument that race-based affirmative action harms high-achieving Asian American students. “For us to identify with the model minority myth would be to turn a blind eye to systemic injustice in this country,” wrote PSA, “and we stand with black and brown communities as we strive for a just education system.”

PSA reiterated this sentiment in a statement to Bwog, saying, “When looking at historical data, selective immigration policies supported only particular, educated groups from Asia to enter the U.S., thus creating a cycle for the generations after. As a community, we refuse to turn a blind eye to this and know that black and brown communities experience significant barriers to education, especially compared to their privileged counterparts.” 

Columbia’s Asian American Alliance expressed similar sentiments in a public statement on June 29, writing, “the AAPI community has a history of solidarity with other communities of color, and we will continue to resist attempts to sow division.” Additionally, the group reaffirmed its commitment to “fight with other political, advocacy, and cultural groups on campus for equity and uplift the voices of Black and brown students most impacted,” and called upon the University “to tangibly further its commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and truly support its diverse student body.” 

Continuing in this pattern, several of Columbia’s Latine student organizations, including Casa Latina, Alianza, the Chicanx Caucus, and Mujeres, released an extensive joint statement of their own on July 10. In their statement, the group writes that the Supreme Court has adopted “a colorblind vision of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, binding the country to an interpretation of equality fundamentally at odds with our unequal past.”

Additionally, the group directly challenged Justice Clarence Thomas’s assertions in his concurring opinion that minority-oriented spaces in universities amounted to “tribalism and segregation.” Instead, the statement explains, “the work each Latine student contributes to Columbia in our minority-led spaces reflects a rich tapestry of experiences that ought to be respected, not denigrated.” Finally, the group echoed earlier sentiments by calling on the University to “be transparent with their response to the Supreme Court’s decision and to provide actionable, just steps to help protect and promote Latine student diversity on campus, while also working to mitigate the expected harmful effects of rolling back affirmative action.” 

In addition to publicly condemning the Court’s decision, some student groups are taking action to combat potential effects of the ruling. The 116th Initiative, a mutual aid society run by Barnard and Columbia students, has released a resource guide containing information about a variety of educational opportunity programs serving low-income students of color. 

In a statement to Bwog, the group elaborated on the role of student organizations in response to the ruling, writing, “There is already a questionable level of diversity within higher education as it relates to racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and disability groups. Student groups attempt to tackle these issues and support one another within our own ranks, such as The 116th Initiative. However, these groups should not have to exist and absorb the residual pitfalls of institutional failures to address the need for diverse perspectives in higher education and academia, especially in the wake of the Court’s decision.” Further, the 116th Initiative called on all students, “regardless of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, identity or ability, to recognize their capabilities in calling for institutional change wherein the Supreme Court has failed us.” The full text of their statement can be found below.

At present, it remains unclear how Barnard and Columbia will ultimately respond to the ruling, or how the change will alter the campus climate or makeup. Until then, student groups across campus are urging University administration to make its plans for fostering a diverse student population concrete and transparent.

Email from Barnard President Laura Rosenbury to Barnard Students on June 29, 2023 at 1:13 pm:

Dear Members of the Barnard Community,
 

Today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court limiting the consideration of race in college admissions presents a historic challenge to all of us who continue to strive for equity in our nation and its greatest institutions.

Barnard remains deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion even as we adapt to the new legal landscape created by this ruling. In August 2022, the College, along with 32 other institutions of higher education, submitted an amicus brief that emphasized the educational benefits of building a diverse student body from different backgrounds and with varied experiences and viewpoints. This commitment is enshrined in our institutional mission, which states that “located in the cosmopolitan environment of New York City and committed to diversity in its student body, faculty, and staff, Barnard prepares its graduates to flourish in different cultural surroundings in an increasingly interconnected world.” It is also embedded in the ethos of our community, where we take responsibility, individually and collectively, for fostering learning, engagement, and mutual care.

This ruling may be painful or discouraging for many in our community given our nation’s tortured history of race relations and the ways that equality remains elusive to this day. As dissenting Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson emphasized: “Gulf-sized race-based gaps exist with respect to the health, wealth, and well-being of American citizens. They were created in the distant past, but have indisputably been passed down to the present day through the generations.”

Please know that all of you, regardless of identity and background, have the unflagging support of this exceptional community. We are united in our determination to help everyone succeed at Barnard and beyond. Today’s ruling presents an opportunity to think anew about what our foundational commitment to diversity and inclusion requires of us in a changed and more challenging environment.

As a College, we have a distinct set of tools and talents that we will call upon to think about, address, and act on as we continue to confront one of the greatest challenges of our time. In the months to come, we will communicate with you about opportunities to examine, interrogate, and respond to the issues raised in this ruling. At the same time, we will make a range of practical and operational decisions to ensure that we remain true to our mission while complying with the Court’s decision. For the past several months, leaders at the College have been meeting to anticipate and plan for what this ruling might require of us to adapt and fulfill our mission to build a richly diverse student body. We will provide updates as we further understand the impact of this ruling at Barnard and within higher education across the nation.

Moments of challenge allow us to define ourselves, and I am confident that Barnard will respond to this challenge with robust inquiry, ingenuity, generosity, and effective action. I look forward to being in conversation with all of you.

With appreciation,
 

Laura Rosenbury
President

Email from Columbia College Dean Josef Sorrett to Columbia Students on June 29, 2023 at 10:00 am:

Dear Columbia College Students,

I reach out to share Columbia University’s statement, which follows below, regarding today’s Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate Columbia College’s abiding commitment to diversity as an essential source of strength for our community. We remain committed to fostering and sustaining a diverse community of students as a core value central to our mission. In the months ahead we will keep you updated as we gain a better understanding of the ruling’s implications — and I look forward to joining with you in discussion about what the decision means for the College and the broader University community.

With respect,

Josef Sorett
Dean of Columbia College
Vice President for Undergraduate Education
Professor of Religion & African American and African Diaspora Studies

Statement from the Columbia University Pakistani Students Association to Bwog, July 3, 2023:

It is extremely important to denounce, especially as a student group at an elite university, the way in which the idea of Asian overrepresentation is used against affirmative action. When looking at historical data, selective immigration policies supported only particular, educated groups from Asia to enter the U.S., thus creating a cycle for the generations after. As a community, we refuse to turn a blind eye to this and know that black and brown communities experience significant barriers to education, especially compared to their privileged counterparts.

Statement from the 116th Initiative to Bwog, July 13, 2023:

The 116th Initiative condemns the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action in response to Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFAI) v. President and Fellows of Harvard and SFAI v. University of North Carolina. We urge Columbia University and Barnard College to exert full transparency in how they aim to implement actionable steps towards combating the gutting of this legislation. As a mutual aid collective led by, working with, and serving minority groups across both campuses for almost 2 years, we understand the importance of acknowledging the impacts of historical barriers, discrimination, and underrepresentation in higher education and who is granted opportunity and access.

There is already a questionable level of diversity within higher education as it relates to racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and disability groups. Student groups attempt to tackle these issues and support one another within our own ranks, such as The 116th Initiative. However, these groups should not have to exist and absorb the residual pitfalls of institutional failures to address the need for diverse perspectives in higher education and academia, especially in the wake of the Court’s decision.

The 116th Initiative has been diligently working to meet the financial needs of underserved students across both campuses where the institution(s) have failed for almost two years. We have long understood the systemic barriers affecting the student body that are enforced by the institution(s). While we have always placed significant pressure on the University and College to detail how they will continue to regard and emphasize diversity within their admissions process and beyond to ensure these decisions reflect the needs of BIPOC, genderqueer/queer, and disabled communities on and beyond campus— and continue to do so in light of the Court’s ruling— we also urge students, regardless of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, identity or ability, to recognize their capabilities in calling for institutional change wherein the Supreme Court has failed us.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to include statements from Barnard President Laura Rosenbury and Columbia College Dean Josef Sorrett.

Campus via Bwog Archives