College students from across Connecticut testified Thursday before the legislature’s Higher Education Committee in favor of a bill that would effectively end legacy admissions in Connecticut.
Senate Bill 203 would prohibit colleges and universities in the state from asking applicants about family connections to the school to which they are applying.
The bill was proposed following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn race-based affirmative action admissions policies at colleges and universities. That decision was handed down under the reasoning that race-based affirmative action was not in coherence with the Constitution, and needlessly took race into account.
Students presented the same reasoning regarding legacy admissions on Tuesday, while leaders of some of the state’s colleges stated their opposition to the bill, largely on the grounds that the state should not interfere in the admissions process of private institutions.
Saman Haddad, a law student at Yale who was representing the Yale Graduate and Professional Student Senate, said he views legacy admissions as a barrier to high school graduates who come from low-income backgrounds or who may be aspiring first-generation college students. Legacy admissions, he said, are an abhorrent practice.
“Legacy preference admission values lineage over learning, wealth over income mobility, and sameness over diversity. Yale has had the opportunity to change, but has not, and this is unacceptable,” Haddad said, reading a statement from the Graduate Student Senate.
Referencing 2023’s Affirmative Action decision, Haddad said he and the Graduate Student Senate urged the committee to ban legacy admissions, and make higher education more accepting.
Haddad was joined by other Yale undergraduate students who also testified in favor of the bill, arguing that, while legacy admission policies do not directly take race into account – as with affirmative action – it disproportionately affects people of color and students from lesser financial backgrounds.
Birikti Kahsai, a Yale freshman, said that by passing SB 203 the Connecticut General Assembly could do a great deal to balance the scales of equity in higher education admissions.
That sentiment is shared by advocates and those working in higher education as well.
Seth Freeman, a computer science professor at Capital Community College who also serves as president of the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges, said in a written testimony that the bill would mean more equity for all those applying to college.
“By forbidding the consideration of familial relationships during the admissions process, this bill guarantees that all applicants are assessed solely on their merits and their potential to enrich the academic community,” Freeman said. “It promotes fairness and transparency in admissions practices, fostering a more inclusive higher education system that values diversity and equal opportunity.”
The presidents of Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, and Trinity College all submitted written testimony in opposition to the bill.
Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec argued that one factor in determining a student’s merit for admission to Fairfield University was their commitment to the school, something he claims can be drawn from a prospective student’s family history with the university.
“The notion of a one-size-fits-all approach to admissions overlooks the complexity of the process and the myriad of factors that universities must consider when evaluating applicants,” Nemec said. “Admissions decisions are multifaceted and require a holistic assessment of an individual’s academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, personal experiences, and potential contributions to the university community. Legacy status is just one of many factors considered in this comprehensive evaluation process.”
Sacred Heart University President John Petillo agreed with Nemec and said in his statement that the lack of affordability of college in Connecticut is a more important barrier to address.
“Private colleges and universities must be allowed to set their own standards and policies for admittance without government intervention,” Petillo said. “At Sacred Heart, we are proud that our school has become a tradition, both intergenerational and among siblings, for many alumni families.”
Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid at Yale University, said that Yale agrees with the central aim of SB 203 – enrolling more low-income and first-generation students and helping them gain the full, life-changing benefits of a college education.
However, Quinlan wrote, “Yale disagrees strongly with the approach of SB 203 because the state should not dictate how colleges and universities make admissions decisions, just as the state should not dictate whom we hire as faculty or what we teach in the curriculum. Moreover, SB 203 does not address the real challenge – providing less advantaged Connecticut students with the resources necessary to prepare for college and to graduate on time.”
Quinlan said Yale commends the committee for raising the topic of increasing access to higher education among first-generation, low-income, and under-represented students.
“This is a priority for Yale and has been a focus of my efforts as Dean of Undergraduate Admissions,” he wrote. “A state statute banning legacy admissions would not address the crucial challenges of preparing students for college, recruiting them, and ensuring that they graduate. Moreover, such a ban would undermine the autonomy of colleges and universities in Connecticut, public or private, religious-affiliated or secular, to shape their campus culture and community in accordance with their different missions and academic judgment.”
