How a year without affirmative action has changed admissions at UNC

On June 29, 2023, the U.S Supreme Court voted in a 6-3 decision to strike down affirmative action, deeming race-conscious university admission programs unlawful.

Throughout this academic school year, the implications of the SCOTUS decision have set the scene for what admissions looks like for incoming and future undergraduate students at UNC.

In July, following the Supreme Court’s decision, the Board of Trustees published a non-discrimination resolution, stating that the University can only consider merit, qualifications and individual experiences outside of race during the admissions process. The resolution also states that the University will not endorse any system, through application essays or other means, that rely on race-based preferences for hiring or admissions.

BOT member Marty Kotis initially introduced this resolution upon joining the board in 2021. Kotis said he firmly opposes discrimination and quotas, drawing from Chief Justice John Roberts’ assertion that the true removal of discrimination necessitates removing it entirely.

“Our critics have said Carolina’s student body should mirror the state’s demographics. I disagree because that position ignores the global population and it places in jeopardy the UNC system’s prized HBCUs and other minority-majority institutions,” Kotis said in an email statement. “Our challenge now is making sure every high school student in the state understands they have an opportunity at Carolina if they meet the admissions requirements."

Instead of highlighting race, Kotis said the University should instead highlight financial aid programs and other resources available to underrepresented students.

In a Faculty Council meeting on Sept. 8, Kara Simmons, associate vice chancellor and senior University counsel, outlined the implications of the SCOTUS decision for the University.

UNC can no longer consider race as a factor for candidates at any stage of admissions, Simmons said. The University also cannot utilize the admissions process to track achievement of any racial diversity goals within a program. Additionally, the racial status of applicants during the admissions process cannot be tracked to assess the racial composition of an incoming class or compare it to that of previous classes.

"It is important that we strike the proper balance in assessing all the information we have about an applicant and doing so in a way that’s compliant," Simmons said at the meeting.

Simmons also noted that the SFFA decision discusses only race and ethnicity. Other factors such as geographic, socioeconomic or legacy statuses are not addressed by the policy change.

In the same Faculty Council meeting, Executive Vice Provost Amy Locklear Hertel provided an overview of the admissions changes made in response to the SCOTUS decision.

To date, the University has removed admissions reviewers’ access to racial demographic data that students could voluntarily disclose within an application. There have also been updates made to undergraduate application materials, essay prompts and training to prepare staff for the new mandates in application reviewing.

In light of these changes, students on campus have taken action to defend affirmative action policies and to educate students on cultivating diverse and welcoming culture on campus.

Christina Huang, a UNC sophomore, currently serves as the student president of the Affirmative Action Coalition. Huang, along with her team, formed the AAC in response to the debates surrounding affirmative action. The coalition hosted events for students, traveling to Washington, D.C., to rally outside with the lawyers committee who was representing UNC and working toward the objective of ensuring equal opportunities for all students, regardless of background.

The AAC also launched TransparUNCy, which started as an Instagram video series intended for UNC students with the goal of repairing the disconnect between students and the administrative decisions that affect campus. With its recent teach-ins, TransparUNCy also educates students on the power they hold in terms of their education.

Huang said the University’s shift toward colorblind policies is using a "rose-tinted glasses" approach to the issue and described it as "very worrisome."

“I think what’s really important to point out that we’ve been trying to drill into folks is that affirmative action is a means to an end, right?” she said. “You can’t isolate it — it’s interconnected to all these other ways of talking about civil rights and racial equality.”

According to Media Relations, there is no current demographic data for this year’s admitted students, with that information not available until the admissions cycle is completed in June from applicants who provided it.

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com