What does affirmative action ruling mean for Charlotte universities? Leaders speak out

The Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities across the nation won’t be allowed to consider race as a factor when deciding admissions

Schools, including those in North Carolina, are now forced to look for new ways to diversify their student bodies.

The nation’s highest court removed what many considered a precedent that benefited Black and Latino students.

WHAT IS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION?

The original intention of affirmative action was to minimize “state-imposed racial segregation,” according to the Congressional Research Service.

“Because state-sanctioned race segregation in public education violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, in certain cases involving a state’s formerly de jure segregated public university system, a state’s consideration of race in its higher education policies and practices may be an affirmative obligation,” the Congressional Research Service stated.

HOW WILL UNIVERSITIES IN CHARLOTTE BE AFFECTED?

While the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action at UNC Chapel Hill and Harvard University, leaders at many universities have been left disappointed by the decision, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Here’s how Charlotte-area colleges responded to the ruling.

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

“UNC Charlotte does not use race as a factor in admissions decisions for its undergraduate students,” Buffie Stephens, UNC Charlotte spokesperson, said in a statement Thursday.

While the university is currently reviewing the decision, Stephens says the school does not use race as “a determining factor for admission in graduate programs, but we will evaluate all processes to ensure they are in compliance with the ruling.”

“UNC Charlotte remains committed to creating and sustaining a campus environment that inspires all students, faculty and staff to reach their full academic and human potential while fostering a community where all are welcome, safe and respected,” Stephens said.

Queens University

At Queens, race is not an explicit factor in making admissions decisions. As the university’s motto is “not to be served, but to serve,” strategic enrollment and communications, Adrienne Amador Oddi said in a statement. “A responsibility to combat the systemic forces that fuel inequity.”

Despite today’s ruling, Queen’s University seeks to continue its “journey forward” while remaining committed to keeping important conversations going along with “collaborations across different world views.”

“It is also important to know that eliminating a check mark does not eliminate race as an element of identity. Our racial identities are a part of each of us. Walking around campus, you see a vibrant and robust tapestry of people with unique identities, each telling a distinct story,” Oddi said.

How will this ruling impact Charlotte’s only HBCU?

Johnson C. Smith University is one of the nation’s oldest private historically Black universities, with approximately 1,222 undergraduate students.

“(JCSU) is an excellent option for Black students seeking a college education in a nurturing environment that affirms their heritage and prepares them to be leaders in the rapidly changing 21st-century workplace,” Johnson C. Smith University said in a statement.

JCSU plans to keep an eye on the impact that the Supreme Court ruling “has on higher education in the United States.”

While JCSU prides itself on “rich HBCU traditions” and “market-driven academic majors” in Charlotte, the school says it is “committed to providing an affordable, academically rigorous education and vibrant student life programs for all traditional and non-traditional students seeking a college education.”