With a matter concerning Harvard and University of North Carolina (UNC) admissions policies that progress all the way to the Supreme Court, a few major corporations are voicing their support for these prestigious institutions.
In a freshly filed brief, nearly 70 companies, including Google, Apple and Meta Platforms, proclaimed that enterprise-level diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts “depend on admissions programs in college that lead to graduates educated in racially and ethnically diverse environments”. ,” according Bloomberg.
“Only in this way can America produce a pool of future highly skilled workers and business leaders ready to meet the needs of the modern economy and workforce,” the statement said. .
“Empirical studies confirm that diverse groups make better decisions through increased creativity, idea sharing, and accuracy,” the companies added in the brief. “These benefits are not just intangible; they are reflected in the net results of companies.
The support comes after Harvard asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold affirmative action in the college admissions process, as Blavity Previously reported.
The situation ties into a lawsuit that an anti-affirmative action group called Students for Fair Admission (SFFA) has filed against Harvard and UNC.
The group argues that Harvard and UNC admissions policies discriminate against Asian American and white students, as the SFFA alleges the institutions favor black, Latino and Indigenous students.
As a result, the SFFA argues that affirmative action directly violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution since it takes into account a student’s race.
However, Harvard disputed those claims last week.
“Nothing in the text or history of the Fourteenth Amendment suggests that universities should uniquely exclude race from the myriad of factors considered to build a class of students best able to learn from one another. “, we read in the writ of the institution of the Ivy League, according to The Harvard Crimson.
“Our Constitution promises ‘equal protection of the laws’. This does not require us to ignore the common sense reality that race is one of many things that shape life experiences in significant ways,” the memoir continues.
In a separate briefing, North Carolina Attorney General Joshua Stein defended UNC’s use of affirmative action, noting that if precedent in the matter were overturned, the ruling “would force hundreds of institutions across the country to revise admissions policies,” according to Bloomberg Law.
The Supreme Court is expected to start hearing cases, dubbed Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions vs. University of North Carolinathis autumn.
