Statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s repeal of Affirmative Action

The following is a statement from Earlham College President Anne Houtman on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action.

Dear Earlham community,

Yesterday, the Supreme Court struck down the use of race-conscious admissions practices in public and private higher education institutions (except for the military academies, oddly). Earlham’s admissions and financial aid process will be unaffected, and the court’s decision left room for alternative ways to ensure that Earlham admits a diverse class of students every year going forward, and that prospective students from diverse backgrounds can share their lived experiences in their application to Earlham.

However, the decision is a massive blow to educational equity, opportunity and excellence in the United States. In a strong and healthy society, the workforce reflects the diversity of the larger community. Affirmative action has provided a powerful tool to ensure that those making the decisions — doctors and engineers, scientists and educators, writers and bankers and policymakers — accurately represent and advocate for the populations they serve.

This is the latest in a series of federal and state rulings that have set back years of progress for people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups in our country.

Earlham has long been deeply committed to recruiting, admitting, educating and graduating a diverse and inclusive community of students. Those Earlhamites go on to the hard work of building a better and more just society. No Supreme Court ruling will change that.

Anne