TO THE EDITOR:
I’m excited UNC has chosen a highly qualified and capable candidate in Taffye Clayton for the position of vice provost for diversity and multicultural affairs. I hope the current UNC leadership welcomes her with a long overdue reform to support diversity: ending legacy admissions.
Legacy admissions began in the United States as a way to exclude Jewish applicants and continues mainly due to the unproven theory that it results in increased alumni donations. Legacy admissions are effectively affirmative action for the wealthy that rewards ancestry and it undermines UNC’s egalitarian values.
Like Carolina Covenant, I hope we lead the way among universities in creating more accessible and ethical admissions practices by ending legacy reforms. If our leaders don’t want to change the status quo, I hope Clayton does her best to convince them. I hope she has a loud and dedicated group of UNC students behind her.
Zach Ferguson
Graduate Student
School of Law
