New York lawmaker co-sponsoring bill to end legacy admissions in schools
NEW YORK -- When affirmative action was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2023, legislators in New York renewed a push to end another policy: legacy admissions. They argue that it's not just old-fashioned, but racist and discriminatory.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes is co-sponsoring a bill to end legacy admissions in New York state.
"It is affirmative action for privileged kids," he said. "The lack of data and transparency further complicates this picture, which makes it even more difficult to expose what's happening here, which is stacking the deck."
"This is an inherently racist policy that benefits the wealthy disproportionately. So we think this is the equitable way to go to allow all students to have a level playing field," said Jacquelyn Martell, with Education Reform Now New York.
John Morganelli, director of college admissions for Ivy Tutors Network, helps students get into college for a living, but was previously director of admissions at Cornell. He says legacy is not the most common indicator of privilege that he sees.
"College counselors from high schools are picking up the phone and calling their colleagues at the schools and advocating on behalf of specific students. I think that's one of the more egregious practices in college admissions, and it's pervasive across the country," he said.
Maria Reyes is her high school's valedictorian and has a variety of extracurriculars and nine AP courses under her belt, but she says she was rejected from the first six colleges she applied to. Reyes says she started to wonder if the problem was something out of her control.
"I was really upset, obviously," she said. "When legacy came into my mind, it was a little discouraging ... Maybe this isn't about me. This is more about a weird admissions process."
Reyes will never know why Yale, Harvard and Brown didn't accept her. She's headed to Cornell in the fall, where she plans to study to become a veterinarian. Reyes says either way, a student's application should be about the student, not their family.
The state legislative session ends Friday.