Senator JD Vance Urges Ohio Colleges to Comply with Affirmative Action Ruling

U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) is urging Ivy League universities and two Ohio colleges to preserve admission records following the U.S. Supreme Court‘s ruling overturning affirmative action.

On June 29th the U.S. Supreme Court decided in the case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that declaring racial preferences in college admissions is unconstitutional.

Following the court decision, Vance sent a letter to ten university presidents voicing his displeasure with the way some colleges, such as Oberlin and Kenyon in Ohio, exhibited “open hostility” to the demise of affirmative action and made suggestions about possible workarounds.

“As you know, the Court has instructed you to honor the spirit, and not just the letter, of the ruling. You and your institutions expressed open hostility to the decision and seemed to announce an intention to circumvent it,” Vance said.

According to Vance, several university presidents issued statements following the Supreme Court ruling intending to continue to use affirmative action in their admission processes.

“A number of these university presidents issued statements that indicated plans to flagrantly defy the Supreme Court’s ruling and continue to focus on the race of students applying for admission to their schools,” Vance said.

Carmen Ambar, president of Oberlin College and Conservatory, wrote a letter following the ruling saying she was “deeply saddened and concerned for the future of higher education” but that the court’s decision had only galvanized her resolve to advance diversity at the institution.

Acting President of Kenyon College Jeff Bowman described the court’s ruling as “deeply disappointing” and detrimental to colleges’ and universities’ ability to carry out their educational goals in a similar statement.

Vance criticized their responses to the court’s judgment as “disconcerting” and “potentially unlawful,” advising them against adopting other techniques, including essays, to factor race into admissions decisions claiming it might result in a federal investigation.

“The United States Senate is prepared to use its full investigative powers to uncover circumvention, covert or otherwise, of the Supreme Court’s ruling. You are advised to retain admissions documents in anticipation of future congressional investigations, including digital communications between admissions officers, any demographic or other data compiled during future admissions cycles, and other relevant materials. As you are aware, a number of federal criminal statutes regulate the destruction of records connected to federal investigations, some of which apply prior to the formal commencement of any inquiry,” Vance said.

He asked the presidents to respond to his letter by July 21st regarding how their different universities intend to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling and save admissions records.

The Ohio Star reached out to Oberlin and Kenyon College for comment but did not receive a response before press time.

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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “JD Vance” by JD Vance.