By Bob Katzen
(No bill number yet assigned) – The Committee on Higher Education has given a favorable report to and recommended passage of a bill that would prohibit public and private colleges in the Bay State colleges from using “legacy admissions” – a tradition that gives to a boost in a prospective student’s odds of admission to a college just because the applicant is related to a current student or alumnus.
“The practice of legacy admissions has perpetuated inequalities in higher education for too long,” said Mary Tamer, Executive Director of Democrats for Education Reform Massachusetts, “It serves as a barrier to equity and opportunity, granting an unearned advantage to children of alumni – often from wealthy or well-connected families – at the expense of deserving students from diverse backgrounds.”