Until last week, being the child of a Texas A&M alumnus would have given you a leg up at the admissions office. But late last year, the university dropped its affirmative action program for minorities, and that lead to a call to also put an end to these so-called legacy admissions, something that critics refer to as affirmative action for wealthy whites.
So last week Texas A&M joined a small but growing list of public universities banning preferential admission for the children of alumni. Supporters say its too much political correctness, that it puts at risk the camaraderie of proud alumni attending Aggies football games, donating money for science labs, and expecting that their children would get that extra nudge at the admissions office.
Guests:
Adam Bellow, author of “In Defense of Nepotism.”
Jay Mathews, staff writer for the Washington Post
John Neely, mortgage banker from San Antonio, TX
Clifford Sjogren, former director of admissions at the University of Michigan