The U.S. Supreme Court effectively ended the use of race-conscious college admissions in June, and now U.S. Jesuit institutions are looking for new ways to advance their mission and champion diversity.
Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education interviewed three presidents of Jesuit institutions—each of them legal scholars—to discuss the decision and how to move forward in its aftermath: Fordham President Tania Tetlow, Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver, and College of the Holy Cross President Vincent Rougeau.
When asked about the advantages and disadvantages of focusing on class, not race, in developing diverse student communities, President Tetlow said:
“The advantages are that class is an issue that should have gotten more focus already. … The disadvantage is that class is not entirely a proxy for race… [T]he impact of racism is very real, even if you aren’t also economically deprived, and the statistics bear that out.”
Read more excerpts of the conversation and listen to the whole podcast here.
