Why I support legacy admissions in universities
Recently, Governor Glenn Younkin signed a bill banning legacy admissions in public universities in Virginia. Legacy admissions refer to giving preferential treatment to university applicants with familial connections to former students or donors.
There seems to be a growing, bipartisan rejection of legacy admissions. The law passed unanimously in the Virginia House and Senate. How often do you hear that in these polarized times? And Virginia is the second state after Colorado to ban the practice. I suspect there will be many more.
The push to ban legacy admissions follows the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard, which declared the use of racial preferences in college admissions unconstitutional. After the Supreme Court made its decision on race, it logically follows for most people that legacies should also be banned. “I think colleges know that these practices are indefensible,” said Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico), the state congressman who sponsored the Virginia bill.
But I have a different view — one wildly out of step with most people. I did not think racial preferences should have been banned, nor should legacy preferences be banned either. Indeed, we should have more preferences.
Let me explain.
