Local colleges tout campus diversity, shrug off pending Supreme Court decision on race-based admissions
Students walk the campus of Farmingdale State College on Nov. 3. Farmingdale, with a 61% acceptance rate, says it enrolls a diverse class despite considering neither race nor ethnicity in admitting students. Credit: Newsday / Steve Pfost
Officials at Long Island colleges and universities say the diversity of their applicant pools, and the institutions' high acceptance rates, would leave them unaffected by a potential U.S. Supreme Court decision barring colleges from race-based admissions.
The court's decision, not expected until as late as June, could overturn a nearly two-decade-old ruling that says race can be considered in admissions.
Race-based admissions has resurfaced because Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were sued by a group, Students for Fair Admissions, which claimed the schools were discriminating against Asian American applicants and using affirmative action to help other races or ethnicities.
Up before the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority is the 2003 ruling Grutter v. Bollinger, which said race could be considered as “a plus factor” in admissions decisions in order to create a diverse campus and not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
On Long Island, officials at many institutions said race wasn't factored into admissions.
"This is a [Supreme Court] case based on highly selective universities,” Farmingdale State College president John S. Nader said. “Most campuses are scrambling to recruit students and are not particularly selective. They get a diverse applicant pool or have very high acceptance rates regardless of the demographic.”
Farmingdale, with a 61% acceptance rate, said it enrolled a diverse class despite considering neither race nor ethnicity in admitting students. The college achieves a racial mix through recruitment and marketing in a "highly diverse region," Nader said.
This fall, 53% of Farmingdale's enrollment identifies as Hispanic, Asian or Black, the school said.
In arguments before the Supreme Court last month, conservative justices appeared skeptical about race-conscious admissions. Justice Clarence Thomas, one of two Black justices on the court, said he didn’t “have a clue” what the word diversity meant.
“It seems to mean everything for everyone,” he said, and questioned whether diversity enhanced the quality of an education. A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Yale Law School, he has expressed ambivalent views on the role affirmative action played in his own education.
But college administrators on Long Island strongly defend the benefits of diversity and inclusion and said they were able to create diverse campuses without turning away qualified white or Asian American candidates.
At Molloy University in Rockville Centre, the acceptance rate is 79% and the university "does not use race in our admissions process," said Stephen Ostendorff, dean of admissions.
"We accept students who meet our academic requirements. We do not turn away qualified applicants of any race in favor of others, and we are still able to field a class that is diverse, representative of the Long Island community and allows for a more enriching educational experience for all students," Ostendorff said.
Linda Albanese, vice president for enrollment management at Molloy, said, “Students of all races and ethnicities are entitled to access to a college education, and we remain committed to that principle. A court decision will not impact our existing enrollment practices."
The Molloy student body identifies as 53% white and 47% minority, including 21% Hispanic, 9% Black and 9% Asian. Albanese said it was "a reflection of Long Island itself."
Overall on Long Island, non-Hispanic white people represent 57.4% of the population, according to the most recent census data, and 72.2% with white Hispanic people included. Hispanic people of all races were at 17.6%, Blacks at 13.1%, and Asians at 11.9%, with the remainder identifying as American Indian, Alaskan native, Pacific Islander or multiracial.
Other schools said they were confident any decision rendered would not affect their diversity, given their applicant pool.
“We are still confident in our ability to attract and enroll a diverse class,” said Taylor Damian, a spokesperson for Adelphi University in Garden City.
With an acceptance rate of 77%, Adelphi's undergraduate enrollment this fall was 50.8% white; 21.8% Hispanic; 13.9% identifying as Asian/Pacific Islanders; 9.7% Black; 3.3% two or more ethnicities; and .5% Native American.
Kristen Capezza, vice president of enrollment management and communications at Adelphi, said applicants' records were evaluated in the context of their high schools' offerings and did not "hinge on race or ethnicity as a factor in evaluation."
St. Joseph’s University, New York, which has a campus in Patchogue, said more than a third of its student body identified as coming from diverse backgrounds, and while race wasn’t calculated into admissions decisions, the school took steps to remove barriers, such as standardized testing, to admission. Its acceptance rate is 80%.
In a statement, St. Joseph's president Donald R. Boomgaarden cited the benefits of a diverse campus in allowing students to explore others’ “ideologies, traditions and cultures in an open learning environment” that encouraged understanding and "thoughtful, intentional, active and engaged outreach and dialogue."
At New York Institute of Technology, race is not considered in acceptance decisions, said Karen Vahey, dean of admissions and financial aid.
Vahey, who also chairs NYIT's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belongings' Pre-College Outreach and Access Subcommittee, says the school “does not need to consider race in admissions because we work hard to attract a talented pool of applicants who represent communities of color, and applicants from these communities have increased despite the pandemic.”
NYIT, with an acceptance rate of 75%, reported that 27.3% of its enrollment this fall was white, with the majority representing ethnic and racial minorities and international students.
At SUNY Stony Brook, Judith Brown Clarke, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, said a diverse cultural campus was vital for “meaningful educational experiences, as well as student growth and success in an increasingly diverse and global workforce." The university, in a statement, said, "It is our practice to not use race or ethnicity in our admissions decisions."
Asian students represented the largest single group: 33.6% of Stony Brook's undergraduate enrollment this fall, with white students at 27.3%, Hispanic students at 14.6%, and Black students at 6%. Also, 10% were nonresident alien, 5.6% ethnicity unknown, and the remainder indigenous and multiracial.
At SUNY Old Westbury, with a 78% acceptance rate, race is not a factor in admissions decisions, spokesman Michael Kinane said. Fall enrollment there is 29.7% Hispanic/Latino, 28.76% white, 23.79% Black, 11.99% Asian, and 5.76% other and unknown.
Hofstra University in Hempstead reports a 62% acceptance rate, and students of color represent 42% of its total enrollment and 50% of the undergraduate first-year class, spokesperson Karla Schuster said. "The university is committed to diversity and will continue fostering and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion," the school said in a statement.
Long Island University did not provide a response to questions about its diversity and admissions practices.
Officials at Long Island colleges and universities say the diversity of their applicant pools, and the institutions' high acceptance rates, would leave them unaffected by a potential U.S. Supreme Court decision barring colleges from race-based admissions.
The court's decision, not expected until as late as June, could overturn a nearly two-decade-old ruling that says race can be considered in admissions.
Race-based admissions has resurfaced because Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were sued by a group, Students for Fair Admissions, which claimed the schools were discriminating against Asian American applicants and using affirmative action to help other races or ethnicities.
Up before the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority is the 2003 ruling Grutter v. Bollinger, which said race could be considered as “a plus factor” in admissions decisions in order to create a diverse campus and not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
WHAT TO KNOW
- The 6-3 conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the 2003 court ruling Grutter v. Bollinger, which said race could be considered as “a plus factor” in admissions decisions in order to create a diverse campus and not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
- Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were sued by Students for Fair Admissions, which claimed they were discriminating against Asian American applicants and using affirmative action to help other races or ethnicities.
- Long Island schools say any such ruling would not affect their student population.
On Long Island, officials at many institutions said race wasn't factored into admissions.
"This is a [Supreme Court] case based on highly selective universities,” Farmingdale State College president John S. Nader said. “Most campuses are scrambling to recruit students and are not particularly selective. They get a diverse applicant pool or have very high acceptance rates regardless of the demographic.”
Farmingdale, with a 61% acceptance rate, said it enrolled a diverse class despite considering neither race nor ethnicity in admitting students. The college achieves a racial mix through recruitment and marketing in a "highly diverse region," Nader said.
This fall, 53% of Farmingdale's enrollment identifies as Hispanic, Asian or Black, the school said.
'A reflection of Long Island'
In arguments before the Supreme Court last month, conservative justices appeared skeptical about race-conscious admissions. Justice Clarence Thomas, one of two Black justices on the court, said he didn’t “have a clue” what the word diversity meant.
“It seems to mean everything for everyone,” he said, and questioned whether diversity enhanced the quality of an education. A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Yale Law School, he has expressed ambivalent views on the role affirmative action played in his own education.
But college administrators on Long Island strongly defend the benefits of diversity and inclusion and said they were able to create diverse campuses without turning away qualified white or Asian American candidates.
At Molloy University in Rockville Centre, the acceptance rate is 79% and the university "does not use race in our admissions process," said Stephen Ostendorff, dean of admissions.
"We accept students who meet our academic requirements. We do not turn away qualified applicants of any race in favor of others, and we are still able to field a class that is diverse, representative of the Long Island community and allows for a more enriching educational experience for all students," Ostendorff said.
Linda Albanese, vice president for enrollment management at Molloy, said, “Students of all races and ethnicities are entitled to access to a college education, and we remain committed to that principle. A court decision will not impact our existing enrollment practices."
The Molloy student body identifies as 53% white and 47% minority, including 21% Hispanic, 9% Black and 9% Asian. Albanese said it was "a reflection of Long Island itself."
Farmingdale State College students on campus. Credit: Newsday / Steve Pfost
Overall on Long Island, non-Hispanic white people represent 57.4% of the population, according to the most recent census data, and 72.2% with white Hispanic people included. Hispanic people of all races were at 17.6%, Blacks at 13.1%, and Asians at 11.9%, with the remainder identifying as American Indian, Alaskan native, Pacific Islander or multiracial.
'Ideologies, traditions and cultures'
Other schools said they were confident any decision rendered would not affect their diversity, given their applicant pool.
“We are still confident in our ability to attract and enroll a diverse class,” said Taylor Damian, a spokesperson for Adelphi University in Garden City.
With an acceptance rate of 77%, Adelphi's undergraduate enrollment this fall was 50.8% white; 21.8% Hispanic; 13.9% identifying as Asian/Pacific Islanders; 9.7% Black; 3.3% two or more ethnicities; and .5% Native American.
Kristen Capezza, vice president of enrollment management and communications at Adelphi, said applicants' records were evaluated in the context of their high schools' offerings and did not "hinge on race or ethnicity as a factor in evaluation."
St. Joseph’s University, New York, which has a campus in Patchogue, said more than a third of its student body identified as coming from diverse backgrounds, and while race wasn’t calculated into admissions decisions, the school took steps to remove barriers, such as standardized testing, to admission. Its acceptance rate is 80%.
In a statement, St. Joseph's president Donald R. Boomgaarden cited the benefits of a diverse campus in allowing students to explore others’ “ideologies, traditions and cultures in an open learning environment” that encouraged understanding and "thoughtful, intentional, active and engaged outreach and dialogue."
At New York Institute of Technology, race is not considered in acceptance decisions, said Karen Vahey, dean of admissions and financial aid.
Vahey, who also chairs NYIT's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belongings' Pre-College Outreach and Access Subcommittee, says the school “does not need to consider race in admissions because we work hard to attract a talented pool of applicants who represent communities of color, and applicants from these communities have increased despite the pandemic.”
NYIT, with an acceptance rate of 75%, reported that 27.3% of its enrollment this fall was white, with the majority representing ethnic and racial minorities and international students.
At SUNY Stony Brook, Judith Brown Clarke, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, said a diverse cultural campus was vital for “meaningful educational experiences, as well as student growth and success in an increasingly diverse and global workforce." The university, in a statement, said, "It is our practice to not use race or ethnicity in our admissions decisions."
Asian students represented the largest single group: 33.6% of Stony Brook's undergraduate enrollment this fall, with white students at 27.3%, Hispanic students at 14.6%, and Black students at 6%. Also, 10% were nonresident alien, 5.6% ethnicity unknown, and the remainder indigenous and multiracial.
At SUNY Old Westbury, with a 78% acceptance rate, race is not a factor in admissions decisions, spokesman Michael Kinane said. Fall enrollment there is 29.7% Hispanic/Latino, 28.76% white, 23.79% Black, 11.99% Asian, and 5.76% other and unknown.
Hofstra University in Hempstead reports a 62% acceptance rate, and students of color represent 42% of its total enrollment and 50% of the undergraduate first-year class, spokesperson Karla Schuster said. "The university is committed to diversity and will continue fostering and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion," the school said in a statement.
Long Island University did not provide a response to questions about its diversity and admissions practices.
Carol Polsky writes news and features on wide-ranging topics, from superstorm Sandy, 9/11 and presidential elections to health care and the economy.
