美國最高法院裁決入學平權違憲 麻州長誓言保護校園多元化

麻州州長Maura Healey也在推特上發表聲明。

               (Boston Orange 周菊子綜合報導) 美國最高法院今 (29) 日公佈，哈佛大學和北卡大學的入學許可做法，違反第14號修正案的平等保護條款。麻州州長奚莉 (Maura Healey) 立即和逾百名高等教育界人士聯名發表聲明，稱麻州的價值觀，以及對教育進步，代表性持續的承諾，保持不可動搖。

              人們普遍認為，最高法院的這一決定，等於是禁止了平權運動。波士頓環球報指出，美國境內至少有包括加州等9個州，都已禁止把族裔因素列為入學許可的考量因素。

              「學生要求平等入學許可 (Students for Fair Admissions)」這非牟利組織在2014年向法院遞交2案，1案聲稱哈佛大學的入學許可辦法非法歧視亞裔申請人，另1案指控北卡大學 (UNC-Chapel Hill)使亞裔及白人申請入學者處於不利境地。

              在低等法院的裁決中，這2

波士頓市長吳弭在推特上聲言拒絕最高法院裁決。

個案件「學生要求平等入學許可」組織都輸了，於是上訴最高法院，要求法官推翻允許大專院校把族裔列為入學許可考量因素的決定。

              歷經十年纏訟後，最高法院今日公佈的決定，讓許多亞裔家長鬆了一口氣，紛紛在微信上轉發這消息。「學生要求平等入學許可」的創辦人及會長Ed Blum也在一份聲明中說，最高法院今日的聲明誌記著凝聚多種族，多族裔國家的不分顏色法律契約，要開始恢復了。他說，”當一所大學只是把看起來不同，但來自相似背景，而且行動，說話及思想都相似的學生集合起來時，並沒有真正的多元化”。

              讓人意外的是，不但麻州州長奚莉立即和逾百名大專院校的校長，以及高等教育界組織及民代聯名發表聲明，要持續打破高等教育藩籬，擁護平等包容，以及獲得教育的機會。大波士頓商會會長James E. Rooney也發表了一份聲明，稱美國最高法院打倒平權運動，不只威脅了高等教育的未來，也威脅了工作場所及企業社區的未來。

              奚莉州長說，”麻州將永遠歡迎，並包容有色，以及在高等教育界歷史性的代表性不足的學生。今日的最高法院決定，推翻了數十年來的既定法令。在麻州，我們的價值觀，我們對教育的進步及持續代表性的承諾，維持不可動搖”。

最高法院的裁決。

              奚莉說，”我們要確保有色學生，同性戀學生，第一代學生，以及在高等教育界長期以來代表性不足的學生們感到受歡迎，在我們的大專院校中受重視。今天的決定，讓人失望之際，不會改變我們對這些學生的承諾。我們急切地想要確保我們的學校反映我們的社區，我們的學術競爭力，我們的人力未來，以及我們對平等的承諾都需要我們採取行動”。

              James Rooney認為，限制全美校園多元化的結果，會讓雇主在朝聘員工時更少多元化的選擇，但是更多元化才會更有創造力，盈利性，而一個由多元化、平等及包容 (DEI)，以及環境的、社會的和治理的 (ESG)原則所支撐起來的工作場所文化，才會更強壯，更成功。

              根據美聯社 (AP)和NORC公共事務研究中心在5月份做的調查，大部分的美國成人認為法院不應該禁止大專院校在招生過程中，把族裔列為考慮因素，但很少人認為在最後決定是否發給學生入學許可時，學生的族裔應扮演主要角色。

              全國大學入學諮詢協會 (National Association for College Admission Counseling)執行主任Angel Perez表示，大部分的美國大專院校學生上的都是錄取率很高的學校，入學標轉相對寬鬆。在這些學校，族裔幾乎或者完全無關重要。

              但是對錄取率低的大專院校來說，最高法院的這一決定，將必須改變入學許可做法。

              哈佛大學在呈交給法院的文件中就指出，如果該校停止把種族列進入學許可的考慮因素，在4年之內，校園內的黑人及西班牙裔學生數量會減少1000人。該校大學部的總錄取人數微7000人。

              在德州，聯邦法院於1996年禁止平權行動後，德州保證各高中的前10%畢業生可以進入任何一所德州大學。2003年時，德州大學稱這前10%政策，未能產生課堂上少數族裔學生有關鍵數量的結果。

              加州在1996年經由公投，禁止入學許可的平權行動後，加州大學柏克萊分校的黑人及西班牙裔學生人數減少一半。2022年時，加州柏克萊大學的新鮮人中，黑人學生仍然只有3%，比1997年禁令實施前少一半。

              麻州大學的校領導們週四表示，他們經評估最高法院這決定對該校入學許可政策有何影響。該校將遵循法律，同時維持對多元化，平等及包容的承諾。 (更新版)

Correction: Healey-Driscoll Administration Releases Joint Statement in Response to Supreme Court Decision on Race-Based Admissions 

Statement Signed by Over 100 Massachusetts Institutions of Higher Education, Advocacy Organizations, and Elected Officials 

 

BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration, along with Massachusetts institutions of higher education leaders, civil rights advocates, other elected officials, and organizations dedicated to equity issued the following statement today regarding the United States Supreme Court’s decision in two higher education admissions cases Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina: 

 

“Massachusetts will always be welcoming and inclusive of students of color and students historically underrepresented in higher education. Today’s Supreme Court decision overturns decades of settled law. In the Commonwealth, our values and our commitment to progress and continued representation in education remain unshakable.  

We will continue to break down barriers to higher education so that all students see themselves represented in both our public and private campus communities. Massachusetts, the home of the first public school and first university, will lead the way in championing access, equity, and inclusion in education.  

We want to make sure that students of color, LGBTQ+ students, first generation students, and all students historically underrepresented in higher education feel welcomed and valued at our colleges and universities. Today’s decision, while disappointing, will not change our commitment to these students. We have an imperative to make sure our schools reflect our communities. Our academic competitiveness, the future of our workforce, and our commitment to equity demand we take action.” 

Governor Maura Healey 

Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll 

Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler 

Commissioner Noe Ortega, Department of Higher Education 

Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 

Commissioner Amy Kershaw, Department of Early Education and Care 

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell 

Senate President Karen E. Spilka 

Speaker of the House Ronald J. Mariano 

Representative Bud L. Williams, Chair, Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus 

Senator Jo Comerford, Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education 

Representative David M. Rogers, Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education 

Senator Jason M. Lewis, Chair, Joint Committee on Education 

Representative Denise C. Garlick, Chair, Joint Committee on Education 

Clinton Dick, General Counsel, Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation 

Marty Meehan, President, University of Massachusetts 

Michael A. Elliott, President, Amherst College 

Mary Lou Retelle, President, Anna Maria College 

Stephen Spinelli Jr., President, Babson College 

Sandra J. Doran, President, Bay Path University 

E. LaBrent Crite, President, Bentley University 

Robert A. Brown, President, Boston University 

Ronald D. Liebowitz, President, Brandeis University 

David Fithian, President, Clark University 

Vincent D. Rougeau, President, College of the Holy Cross 

Diane Tucker, President, Curry College 

Kenneth Elmore, President, Dean College 

Harry E. Dumay, President, Elms College 

Jay M. Bernhardt, President, Emerson College 

Mary K. Boyd, President, Emmanuel College 

Steven R. DiSalvo, President, Endicott College 

Edward Wingenbach, President, Hampshire College 

Lily Hsu, President, Labouré College of Healthcare 

Michael B. Alexander, President, Lasell University 

Janet Steinmayer, President, Lesley University 

Paula Milone-Nuzzo, President, MGH Institute of Health Professions 

Beverly Daniel Tatum, President, Mount Holyoke College 

Howard Purcell, President, New England College of Optometry 

Andrea Kalyn, President, New England Conservatory of Music 

Joseph E. Aoun, President, Northeastern University 

Gilda A. Barabino, President, Olin College of Engineering 

Antoinette Hays, President, Regis College 

Lynn Wooten, President, Simmons University 

Kathleen McCartney, President, Smith College 

Mary-Beth Cooper, President, Springfield College 

Marisa J. Kelly, President, Suffolk University 

Anthony P. Monaco, President, Tufts University 

Clea Andreadis, President, Urban College of Boston 

Paula Johnson, President, Wellesley College 

Mark A. Thompson, President, Wentworth Institute of Technology 

Robert E. Johnson, President, Western New England University 

Michaele Whelan, President, Wheaton College 

Maud Mandel, President, Williams College 

Nicholas A. Covino, President, William James College 

Grace J. Wang, President, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 

Ellen L. Kennedy, President, Berkshire Community College 

Laura L. Douglas, President, Bristol Community College 

Pam Eddinger, President, Bunker Hill Community College 

John L. Cox, President, Cape Cod Community College 

Michelle Schutt, President, Greenfield Community College 

Christina Royal, President, Holyoke Community College 

Ray DiPasquale, President, Massasoit Community College 

David Podell, President, MassBay Community College 

Philip J. Sisson, President, Middlesex Community College 

James Vander Hooven, President, Mount Wachusett Community College 

William Heineman, President, North Shore Community College 

Lane A. Glenn, President, Northern Essex Community College 

Luis Pedraja, President, Quinsigamond Community College 

Jackie Jenkins-Scott, President, Roxbury Community College 

John B. Cook, President, Springfield Technical Community College 

Frederick W. Clark, President, Bridgewater State University 

Richard S. Lapidus, President, Fitchburg State University 

Nancy S. Niemi, President, Framingham State University 

Mary K. Grant, President, Massachusetts College of Art and Design 

James F. Birge, President, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 

Francis X. McDonald, President, Massachusetts Maritime Academy 

John D. Keenan Salem State University 

Linda Thompson, President, Westfield State University 

Barry M. Maloney, President, Worcester State University 

Aisha Francis, President and CEO, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology 

Mary K. Boyd, President, Emanuel College 

Robert J. McCarron, President & CEO, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts 

Tanisha M. Sullivan, President, NAACP Boston 

Traci Griffith, Racial Justice Program Director, ACLU of Massachusetts 

Suzanne Lee, Affiliated with Massachusetts Asian American Educators Association and Chinese Progressive Association 

Max Page and Deb McCarthy, President and Vice President, Massachusetts Teachers Association 

Beth Kontos, President, AFT Massachusetts 

Jessica Tang, President, Boston Teachers Union 

Steven Tolman, President, Massachusetts AFL–CIO 

Rahsaan D. Hall, President and CEO, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts 

Yvette M. Frisby, Interim President & CEO, Urban League of Springfield, Inc. 

Aaron Polansky, Superintendent-Director, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical 

Amanda Fernandez, CEO, Latinos for Education 

Mindy Wright, Founder and Executive Director, Upward Project 

Bahar Akman Imboden, Managing Director, Hildreth Institute 

Amanda Hillman Seider, Executive Director, OneGoal 

Genesis Carela, State Policy Associate for Massachusetts, The Education Trust 

Femi Stoltz, Massachusetts Policy Director, uAspire 

Ginette Saimprevil, Executive Director, Bottom Line 

Gregory Chery, Executive Director, Minds Matter 

Derrick Young Jr., Co-Founder and Executive Director, Leadership Brainery 

Tyra Anderson-Montina, Chief Program Officer, Thrive Scholars 

Angel Garcia, Student Representative, Northshore Community College 

Yanelis Ortiz Aquino, Student Representative, Salem State University 

Joseph Bonilla, Student Representative, Westfield State University 

Taylor Hope, Student Representative, MCLA 

 

Ahead of the decision, the Healey-Driscoll Administration formed an Advisory Council to Advance Representation in Education to foster critical cross-sector communication to break down barriers to higher education in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, while expanding college and career readiness tools to ensure current Massachusetts students of all backgrounds with the support they need to seek out the high-quality college and career opportunities they deserve. 

 

 

James E. Rooney, Chamber President & CEO, Urges Business Leaders to

Recommit to ESG, DEI, & Economic Inclusion 

The decision from the U.S. Supreme Court striking down affirmative action not only threatens the future of higher education, but also the future of our workplaces and business community. By limiting the efforts to diversify campuses across the country, employers will have a less diverse pipeline for the recruitment and hiring of employees. More diverse teams and workplaces – in every industry – are more productive and profitable, and a workplace culture that is fortified by the pillars of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles are stronger and more successful. 

As higher education institutions wrestle with next steps for their admissions processes, it is imperative that as business leaders we ensure investments in and the elevation of our ESG and DEI initiatives to remind our workforce, Board members, and all stakeholders of our ongoing commitment to equity. 

As for the Chamber, we will continue to champion economic inclusion and equitable commerce. Ensuring equity requires strategic action. Join us.

• Hire apprentices, as you focus on skills development, and hiring that centers equity,
• Utilize supplier diversity that deepens partnerships with businesses of color,
• Train your workforce, especially your managers, and
• Champion the next generation of leaders to ensure transformative access and connections. 

Our member, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, outlined how employers can be vigilant and protect their diversity initiatives in light of the Supreme Court’s decision. 

Massachusetts has always led the way in historic steps forward, and our business community is no different. This moment requires bold action, big steps forward, and determination to handle the hard work ahead. Let’s move forward, not backward. 

James E. Rooney

President & CEO

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce