29 June 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the affirmative action, which previously allowed universities and colleges to use race as a deciding factor for admission.
But, colleges and universities in Kansas tell KSN it’s not going to change much in the state because private and public colleges use open enrollment, admitting everyone who meets the basic requirements.
The Kansas State Board of Regents provided the following statement:
“State universities are committed to recruiting and serving students from traditionally underserved populations, but the nature of qualified admissions makes their admissions processes substantially different than highly selective institutions that reject a large percentage of applicants.
Because Kansas uses qualified admissions, the Supreme Court’s ruling will likely have minimal impact on our system. Through qualified admissions, applicants to state universities in Kansas must meet minimum GPA or ACT requirements. If they do, they are guaranteed admission regardless of other factors.”
A spokesperson from Emporia State University sent the following statement:
“Emporia State University values and welcomes the benefits of diversity, and pledges to current and prospective students, faculty, staff and the public that we expect and demand the worth and dignity of all people be recognized without regard to any classification that might preclude a person from consideration as an individual.
ESU uses qualified admissions practices, which means that, as long as applicants meet our minimum GPA and ACT requirement, they will be admitted, regardless of other factors. ESU believes the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling is unlikely to have much effect, if any, on the university’s admissions procedures or practices.”
Kansas State University also sent a statement:
“As the nation’s first operational land-grant institution, Kansas State University has always been committed to educational access for all. The Supreme Court decision does not impact our admissions practices or ability to continue to serve all who meet our established admissions criteria. We are currently reviewing the full ruling for any broader affects.”
Wichita State University sent the following statement:
“The Supreme Court decision doesn’t have the same impact here in Kansas because the Kansas state university system uses a qualified admissions process that guarantees entrance for all students meeting those requirements. Because of that, our admissions process functions very differently than Harvard and UNC.
Meanwhile, it’s important to note what Wichita State has been doing — and will continue to do — to support all students’ access to an affordable education, including a strong emphasis on providing need-based aid with our Shocker Promise Scholarship program for Kansans and an extensive tuition discount system that provides in-state tuition to students in eight other regional states.”
Click here to see the University of Kansas’s response.
Professor at Newman University Dr. Larry Straub believes diversity will still be acheivable.
“I think universities and colleges are going to have to get out of the box a little bit, rethink this thing now that the deck has changed a little bit, the frameworks changed,” Dr. Straub said. “There may be ways that they can accomplish some of the same goals in different manners.”
Dr. Straub doesn’t expect this to be the end of affirmative action.
“I think you’re just going to see this stuff from here on out,” Dr. Straub said. “Just see sawing back and forth with changes of administrations, you’re going to get new judges on the courts. And then, you’re going to have people bring test cases up to the courts just like they did in this situation. And you’re going to keep seeing these things swing back and forth.”
Matt Lindsey is the president of the Kansas Independent College Association and says Kansas doesn’t have selective undergrad institutions, including private schools.
“If you apply to one of the private colleges in Kansas, and you meet the bare minimum entrance standards, you’ve graduated high school, you can demonstrate you can do college work, we are going to take you,” Lindsey said.
Jeffrey Jackson is a law professor at Washburn University School of Law and says graduate programs in Kansas are selective, so they will have to reevaluate admissions processes if race is a determining factor.
“The graduate school programs especially are going to be affected,” Jackson said. “The extent to which they’re affected depends on the extent to which they have processes that utilize race as a plus factor. For instance, here at Washburn law school, we don’t actually do that. That is generally not a plus factor.”