August 2004

News

In a speech this month to minority journalists of a group called Unity 2004, President George W. Bush stated that he is against legacy admissions, the practice common in many college admissions offices of favoring applicants whose parents or other relatives have already attended the particular school.

President Bush, a third generation Yale graduate, joked that he had to knock on a lot of doors to follow in his father's footsteps. The remark drew a round of laughter from the crowd.

In the final remark made on the subject of college admissions, Bush expressed support for diversity and stated that the admissions process should be based on "merit".

Views

There seem to be a lot of other things going on in Washington right now, so we don't expect to see any politicians begin pressuring the colleges to begin changing their policies any time soon. While a few schools may voluntarily alter their practices on their own initiative, we would be shocked to see any type of 'sea change' without a lot of pressure first from the outside. Colleges just don't seem to be capable of making large, swift changes.