The Trump administration is axing Obama-era guidelines urging colleges to consider race in admissions practices, according to the Wall Street Journal.
To promote diversity on college campuses, the Obama administration issued policy guidelines in 2011 to aid universities in the creation of legally sound affirmative action practices based on the Supreme Court’s consistent rulings that affirmative action is constitutional—with some limitations. For example, race can be one of many factors in admissions decisions, but not the sole deciding factor.
The Trump administration, however, wants to bring back the race-neutral admissions guidelines promoted under President George W. Bush. While the administration’s policy guidelines are not law, schools that fail to update their practices could lose federal funding, or even face a lawsuit from the Department of Justice.
In an internal announcement last year, the department revealed plans to redirect civil rights division resources toward investigations and lawsuits against universities over admissions practices deemed discriminatory.
