Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Harvard legacy admissions targeted after Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action Erik Larson and Janet Lorin Bloomberg News Harvard University was accused by minority groups of violating federal law by giving preferential treatment in the admissions process to children of alumni and wealthy donors, days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the use of race-based affirmative action policies. The long-standing practice of legacy admissions flouts a provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that bars racial discrimination in programs that receive federal funds, because about 70% of legacy admissions are White, the groups said in a complaint filed Monday
with the U.S. Department of Education. “Each year, Harvard College grants special preference in its admissions process to hundreds of mostly White students — not because of anything they have accomplished, but rather solely because of who their relatives are,” they said in the complaint. The minority groups seek a probe into Harvard’s use of donor and legacy preferences as well as a declaration that the school will lose federal funds if it doesn’t end the practice. The groups also want Harvard to ensure that applicants with family ties “have no way to identify” themselves in the admissions process. The complaint comes as the United States continues to grapple with the fallout of the Supreme Court’s rul-
ing ending affirmative action, which has been used by universities to diversify campuses after decades of racially discriminatory admissions practices. Harvard forcefully defended affirmative action and said it would find other ways to ensure diversity. Harvard declined to comment on the complaint. Justice Neil Gorsuch, in hearing arguments before the Supreme Court in October, suggested eliminating the legacy preferences given to the children of alumni and others who gain an edge such as athletes and big-money donors. But colleges are so far mostly loath to scrap such preferences, which keep donors happy. The groups suing Harvard argue that considering legacy status of an applicant does not serve a strong enough
educational interest, and undermines accessibility for applicants more likely to be people of color. By overturning affirmative action, the Supreme Court may have paved the way for more suits over legacy admissions, which is used by many colleges, said Jonathan Glater, a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley. “One reason that alumni give to colleges and universities is to enhance the odds that their kids will get in,” Glater said. “This practice bolsters development opportunities. So really, these claims highlight another way that how we finance higher education — here, the role of philanthropy — affects who can go.” See Admissions on 6
BYU adapting to Big 12 while holding on to ‘who they are’
Braden Bush Sports Editor This is part of The O’Colly’s series on the four new members of the Big 12 Conference. Thirteen years ago, BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe announced the university was leaving the Mountain West Conference for the open waters of independence in football and the West Coast Conference in Olympic sports. BYU’s rival Utah left the MWC for more promising ventures in the Pac 12, and the BYU-MWC relationship was already shaky. After disputes over TV rights and limited exposure, which Holmoe said was hurting the Cougars’ brand, BYU announced it was going independent on Aug. 31, 2010. The BYU brand resonates internationally, thanks to its affiliation with the LDS Church. Schools like Notre Dame have pulled off independence in the breadwinning sport of football, but it’s not always an easy existence. Those days are gone, and BYU is now a Big 12 member as of July 1, joining Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. And it comes at a pivotal time in college athletics, with conference positioning as important as ever. “It feels good. People don’t forget, but I don’t think they realize I’m a BYU alum. I’m a football player,” Holmoe said Saturday. “So, many
times I wear the same hat as them. I’m an AD by day and an alum by night. So, it’s something that I’ve wanted for a long, long time.” For Holmoe, who played football for the Cougars from 1978-82, the money and security of being in a Power Five conference was appealing and definitely a perk, but competition was his top priority. As an independent, it was tough fitting into other schools’ schedules. In 2020, BYU didn’t have restrictions from a conference during the pandemic and was able to play football, but scheduling was messy, with conferences not allowing nonconference games. The Cougars taped together a schedule that featured only two teams with winning records. “I’ve always said that for me, it’s not so much about the money that you might get,” Holmoe said. “That’s what everybody asks. But I want our student-athletes to be able to play against the best competition in the country year-in and year-out.” BYU has been Big-12 bound since Sept. 10, 2021, so there’s been plenty of time to prepare. While other schools are pouring into new athletics facilities, such as Houston, which began construction of a $124 million indoor football practice facility and performance center, BYU doesn’t want an arms race. “We have excellent venues, but in this day and age in college athletics, you can see it’s like keeping up the Joneses,” Holmoe said. “We won’t do that at BYU. It’s just not the style, it’s not the manner in which we go about our business.” See Big 12 on 4
Courtesy of BYU Athletics via Twitter BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe (left) said as a former Cougar football player and alumnus, it feels good to make the move to a Power Five conference.
Courtesy of Stephanie Landaverde Native bees are among the many different welcome and necessary pollinators in landscapes.
How to save the bees
The buzz about bee hotels Jake Sellers Staff Reporter Though they are seen by many as disturbing pests, bees are recognized to be one of the most important creatures on our planet - and they, too, need a home. Native bees are among the many different welcome and necessary pollinators in landscapes. “Native bees are the most important group of about 200,000 species of pollinators,” said Oklahoma State University Extension consumer horticulturist David Hillock. “They provide an important link to the environment by carrying pollen from one plant to another to ensure the growth of seeds and fruits. Some pollen is carried by the wind, but other pollen can be heavy and requires pollinators to move
it. Pollination is responsible for nearly $20 billion worth of products annually.” Bees are instrumental in a variety of ways for the environment, to the degree that human life would not be sustainable without them. Pollinators are also a key element in the agricultural industry, and the world’s food supply would be smaller, less colorful and less nutritious without bees. To help protect and increase the dwindling population of these pollinators, homeowners can build bee hotels, which are the insect equivalent of a birdhouse. Also known as bee condos, bee houses or nest blocks, these structures provide nesting spaces for solitary bees or wasps in places where natural habitats may be scarce. These species make their homes in holes in dead wood, hollow plant stems or other nooks and crannies in the landscape be-
cause they don’t excavate their own holes. “Generally, a hotel provides shelter for its human guests for short stays, but bee hotels provide long-term accommodations,” Hillock said. “You can construct a bee hotel using reed or bamboo. Other good materials include hollow stems from plants such as sunflowers, teasel, fennel, brambles, raspberries and elder.” A bee hotel mimics nesting habitat and provides shelter from weather and predators, said OSU Extension specialist and director of OSU’s Insect Adventure Andrine Shufran. “The bee hotel serves a dual purpose,” Shufran said. “First, it provides a place for native bees to lay eggs during the warm season and serves as their home during pollination. Second, it gives the bees a place to overwinter when the seasons change.” See Bees on 7