哈佛大學被DOE警告：讓學生寫“多元化”申請文書也是違反高院Affirmative Action裁決的擦邊球！

Department of Education Takes Aim at All Race-Conscious Higher Ed Practices

 

美國教育部最近發布的這一指令標誌著高等教育中種族考量政策的法律環境發生重大變化。由民權事務代理助理部長克雷格·W·特雷諾（Craig W. Trainor）撰寫的信函明確警告，包括哈佛大學在內的所有聯邦資助機構，任何在決策過程中考慮種族因素的做法都在最高法院 2023 年關於平權行動的裁決下被禁止。這一禁令不僅適用於招生，還涵蓋了財政資助、獎學金、住宿及校園生活的其他方麵。

 

值得注意的是，教育部的立場還指出，即使表麵上看似種族中立的項目，如果被認定是出於種族考量的動機，也可能被視為違法。這表明政府對涉及種族因素的政策審查將更加嚴格。

 

根據該信函，教育機構不得在“招生、雇傭、晉升、薪酬、財政資助、獎學金、獎項、行政支持、紀律處分、住宿、畢業典禮及學生、學術和校園生活的所有其他方麵”考慮種族因素。

 

特雷諾進一步強調：“簡單來說，教育機構既不得基於種族區分或隔離學生，也不得基於種族分配福利或負擔。”

盡管在最高法院裁決支持“學生公平錄取組織”（Students for Fair Admissions）並反對哈佛大學後，哈佛未在財政資助或獎學金方麵考慮種族因素，也未明確在招生中考量種族，但該信函指出，一些表麵上種族中立的項目也可能違法。

 

“盡管某些項目在表麵上似乎是中立的，但深入審查可能會發現它們實際上受到種族考量的驅動，”特雷諾寫道。“無論以何種形式，基於種族的決策仍然是不可接受的。”

 

在最高法院於 2023 年作出裁決後，哈佛在其大學申請材料中新增了一項必填補充題，要求學生反思“招收多元化學生群體的重要性”以及他們自身的生活經曆。這一調整是基於法院指導意見，即種族可作為申請者個人經曆的一部分加以考慮。然而，教育部在周五的信函中對這種做法提出質疑。

 

信中指出，大學和學院“不得利用學生的個人作文、寫作樣本、課外活動參與或其他線索來推測或確定學生的種族，並據此給予優待或歧視。”

針對該信函，哈佛大學發言人拒絕發表評論。

 

The Department of Education warned Harvard and other federally funded institutions not to use any race-based decision-making on Friday, arguing in a Dear Colleague letter that all such practices are illegal under the Supreme Court’s decision outlawing race-conscious admissions.

 

The department’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig W. Trainor wrote in the letter that the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to effectively strike down affirmative action applies to financial aid, scholarships, and housing. He wrote that the department will consider steps to revoke federal funding to institutions found to consider race in their programming after Feb. 28.

 

According to the letter, educational institutions cannot consider race in decisions about “admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”

“Put simply, educational institutions may neither separate or segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race,” Trainor added.

While Harvard does not determine financial aid or scholarships based upon race or explicitly consider race after the Court ruled against the University in favor of Students for Fair Admissions, the letter also argued some race-neutral programs could also be illegal.

 

“Although some programs may appear neutral on their face, a closer look reveals that they are, in fact, motivated by racial considerations,” Trainor wrote. “And race-based decision-making, no matter the form, remains impermissible.”

 

After the Court’s 2023 decision, Harvard added a required supplemental prompt to its college application asking students to reflect on the “the importance of enrolling a diverse student body” and their own life experiences. While the change reflected guidance from the Court that race could be considered as part of an applicant’s lived experiences, the Friday letter called such practices into question.

 

In the letter, Trainor wrote that colleges and universities “may not use students’ personal essays, writing samples, participation in extracurriculars, or other cues as a means of determining or predicting a student’s race and favoring or disfavoring such students.”

 

A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment for this article.

 

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/2/18/acting-education-assistant-sec-warns-harvard-race/