Legacy Admission
It is a dream of many students to be admitted into an elite college or university. However, getting into one has been a controversial issue on college admission for so many years.
Some says that money matters more than brains, wherein college officials favored legacy student over the common applicant. Legacy admission is a process in which a student is admitted without enough credentials and not based on academic standards. Legacy students are getting preferential treatment because they are child of a wealthy, popular, educated, or alumni of the university.
In article, “Time to Bury the Legacy”, Robert DeKoven, a professor at California Western School of Law, stated that legacy admission is unfair and should be eliminated. DeKoven (2003) also pointed out that legacy admission is equal to taking races and genders as factors, which is discrimination. Students should be admitted based on their merit and for a university official to give more weight on having college-educated parents violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. (p225)
He noted that at Notre Dame, 57 percent of students admitted were children of alumni. He also stated that George W. Busch applied to Yale University with a C average and 566 SAT. Yale University accepted him and rejected others with impressive credentials because he is the son of affluent family. (DeKoven, 2003, p. 224)
According to the data provided by The College Board, most universities use “common application form” (CAF) in the admission process. The CAF meant to ask questions whether a student is a child of alumni or if an applicant came or related from an affluent family. Some schools, who doesn’t use the form, ask on their own forms where an applicant’s parents were educated. (p. 229)
Some critics argued that money is not the main reason why they are giving legacy students preferential treatment. University officials want to encourage alumni volunteer services, fortify school traditions and maintain community relations. (p. 233) With active parents of legacy students, whose willing to help and participate in their children school activities will help student do better in school. Colleges also show preferences for attributes that go beyond academics. Debra Thomas and Terry Sheppard stated that merit doesn’t exist and admission cannot be fair. (p. 221) For as long as the university did not violate anti-discrimination law the said university be free to accept students based on their unique character and own criteria. (USA Today, 2004, p. 233). Colleges have the right to shape student community by not limiting their admission based on grades. Students with gifted talents like musicians, singers, dancers, painters or even athletes should be given a chance to be admitted to a university. There are also students who can’t get an A on their English class but brilliant on Math subject. These things should be given consideration because the value and potential of a student cannot be ranked. (p. 223) School officials have to go beyond merit in order to have a diverse student body.
With inadequate government support, schools face a choice, whether to allow the quality of education to drop to the level of support, raise tuition to the levels that the public would reject or cultivate supporters among their alumni. (p. 222) Donations from alumni that help not only their children have a better education but all students enrolled. Alumni support their colleges and universities, in many ways including financially by providing scholarships and providing new school equipment or build new classrooms and buildings. (p. 232) According to the OCR report, alumni in 1989 gave $36 million to the Harvard College Fund, to provide financial aid and scholarship to needy students. (p. 230) In order to maintain universities financial strength and diversity of student body, universities must open their door to the less-qualified students. (p. 230)

References

Debra, Thomas, & Terry, Shepard. (2003). Legacy Admissions are Defensible Because the Process Can't Be Fair. , Behrens, L and Rosen, L. (Eds.), Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum (pp. 220-223). New York, NY: Pearson Longman.
Dekoven, R. (2003). Time to bury the Legacy. Behrens, L and Rosen, L. (Eds.), Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum (pp. 224-225). New York, NY: Pearson Longman.
Megalli, Mark. (1995). So Your Dad Went to Harvard. Behrens, L. & Rosen, L. (Eds.), Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum (pp. 229-231). New York, NY: Pearson Longman.
USA Today. (2004). Preserve Universities’ Right to Shape Student Community. Behrens, L. & Rosen, L. (Eds.), Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum (pp. 232-233). New York, NY: Pearson Longman.