SCOTUS affirmative action ban: Drop in Black students at elite colleges sparks concerns among current students – 13newsnow.com WVEC

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The initial impact of the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and the University of North Carolina is already evident in the declining enrollment numbers of Black students at elite universities. At UNC, the percentage of Black students in the 2024 incoming class dropped from 10.5% to 7.8%.
Ava Wharton, Amanda Jesuca, and Jaylen Marsh are three exceptional second-year students at UNC-Chapel Hill. They have no regrets about their college choice, but as African-American students, they are worried following the 2023 ruling.
The decision struck down race as a factor in admissions, overturning decades of precedent.
“They don’t want us here,” Wharton said, recalling the first thought that popped into her mind when the headlines about the decision began to cloud her social media feeds.
Wharton is president of the UNC Club Sis2sis, which assists Black women in achieving academic and personal success. She’s a photographer for the Daily Tar Heel, and both she and Jesuca are political action co-chairs for the Black Student Movement on campus.
“I’ve been taught from a very young age the kind of realities of being a young Black American girl in this country and knowing that there aren’t going to be spaces that are just laid out for us–where we are accepted, and I’m proud to be a Black American person who comes from a legacy of paving those spaces on our own and demanding that we have a place at this university, because we do,” said Wharton.
Jesuca, a Morehead-Cain scholar, fears the numbers of incoming Black students will continue to dip.
“Absolutely, I do,” she said. “It’s enshrined in the North Carolina constitution that everyone has the right to the privilege of education. What we’ve seen is there are people who come from marginalized backgrounds whose parents may not have had an education. They come from places where their schools are disinvested from. If they feel like they are going to a university where they feel like their race will be weaponized against them, yet again … they may not want to come.”
Marsh, a UNC track athlete, argues if the numbers of Black athletes aren’t dropping, why should there be a decline among the non-athletes?
“One thing I notice is that with the numbers dropping off of Black students attending, I realize, hey, on the athletic side there wasn’t a drop-off,” he said. “There’s not going to be a drop-off no time soon.”
And UNC is not alone: 185 miles away at the University of Virginia, fourth-year student and Black Student Alliance member Dream Mattison shared the same thoughts as Wharton, Jesuca, and Marsh.
In 2024, UVA saw a decline in new Black student enrollees from 7.9% to 7%.
“People may say or vouch that there are benefits from quote-unquote ‘colorblind admissions’ cycles as opposed to affirmative action obstruction, but I do not believe that is productive or realistic when we understand larger American and university racial politics,” said Mattison.
Both universities assigned some blame for the demographic changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, which included new questions about family income and assets.
UVA Dean of Admissions Gregory Roberts acknowledges those changes, saying they “resulted in pretty significant financial aid reward delays.”
UNC System Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David English noted the correlation between race and financial need.
“What we know from the data is that there is a high level of overlap there, between students who identify as Black and students who have financial need,” he explained.
But while UNC, a defendant in the affirmative action case, argued that the use of race as one factor in a holistic admissions process was constitutional and necessary to achieve a diverse student body, the UNC System Board of Governors repealed the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion policy with plans to replace it with a new policy focused on “Equality Within the University of North Carolina.”
University administrators are now grappling with the challenge of maintaining diversity on their campuses in the absence of race-conscious admissions.
“Unfortunately, the ‘PWIs’ or ‘predominately white institutions’ are struggling with fighting this on every front and assuring that everyone is not just accepted but everyone is wanted at their institution,” said political scientist Dr. Eric Claville, who hosts “The Claville Report: Law, Policy and Politics.”
“The commitment is 100% still there,” said Roberts. “Students at all schools benefit from going to college with students who are different from themselves.”
“We feel 100% confident that the President, the board, the system have made clear we want to be an academic institution, academic university, that is open and available to all,” English assured.
But students like Wharton, Jesuca, Marsh, and Mattison are waiting to see if the institutions they treasure fight for diversity.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are experiencing a surge in enrollment, a trend that has accelerated in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action. While the ruling has sparked debate and concern about the future of diversity in higher education, HBCUs have emerged as beacons of opportunity for Black students.
One of the primary draws for students is the unique culture and sense of community offered by HBCUs.
“I love the culture here. It’s definitely a family environment,” said Simone Stephen, a Hampton University student. “I just knew that I wanted to be in a space where I could have that personable relationship with people, to have one-on-one conversations, to be in a space where I’m heard, seen, valued, where I can have connections like that.”
Student Landi Stewart went to a predominately white high school in Northern Virginia and said she wanted something different.
“I see my HBCU as a place where I can go when a PWI is sort of lacking what I need.”
Jordyn Isaacs changed her mind about attending a PWI after visiting the University of Hartford.
“I didn’t feel like this was a safe space where I wanted to be cultivated these next four years of my college education, so with me, it was taking a big leap of faith going to Hampton, and I think I made the right decision.”
Nassir Steward, a first-year student, always knew he wanted to attend an HBCU.
“Affirmative action really wasn’t a bother to me because I knew I wasn’t going to a PWI anyway, but I can see how it affects other students.”
Hampton University (HU) saw a significant increase in applications for the 2024-25 academic year, with a 34% rise in new student enrollment.
HU President Darrell Williams attributed this growth to a combination of factors, including the Supreme Court’s decision.
However, he emphasized that HBCUs were already experiencing growth before the ruling.
“The year before the Supreme Court decision, our student population grew by 400 students in just our freshman class, but that’s certainly not the total reason but without question; it is having an impact on the psyche of many of the students that are coming to Hampton for that experience. The real reason why students are coming here … the real reason is because of the excellence of this university.”
In the UNC System, which consists of 16 schools, overall enrollment is up, but the biggest spikes are among the HBCUs.
Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) experienced its highest enrollment in 10 years, with a 4.4% increase from last year.
Administrators credit the NC Promise program that brought tuition costs down and the higher percentage of acceptance of out-of-state students.
“The highest out-of-state cap we have in our system on students is at Elizabeth City State University,” said English. “It’s a 50% cap on out-of-state students, recognizing that where the university’s located, the largest metropolitan area is not in North Carolina, it’s in Virginia and we don’t want to have a policy that keeps those talented students away from the institution.”
But not every Black student can go to an HBCU. There isn’t enough capacity. That’s why Williams believes all schools need to be welcoming.
“The idea that you would place restrictions on who can or who cannot be admitted to our PWIs, predominantly white institutions, I think it’s bad for our country.”
Norfolk-based Access College Foundation is playing a crucial role in helping students navigate the college application process and noticed several years ago the growing attraction to HBCUs.
“We’re preaching best fit all the time to all students, meaning best fit for you in a college or post-secondary opportunity, academically, financially, socially,” said the foundation’s president, Bonnie Sutton.
The Access College Foundation has counselors in all southside Hampton Roads high schools and on the Eastern Shore.
In a recent meeting I.C. Norcom High School senior Journey Vinson had with her Access Counselor, she learned she was accepted to Old Dominion University. She said she knows picking a college is a big decision to make, but for her, HBCUs are at the top of the list.
“Seeing the different schools, it opens my eyes to what I can possibly do in this world.”
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