PACAC and PSCA Joint Statement on Opinion Issued by SCOTUS 
June 30, 2023

Dear colleagues,

Many of you have heard the news that yesterday the Supreme Court issued their opinion for the cases involving Harvard College and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. We have learned that the Court has found the race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and UNC to be in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. 

Specifically, the majority opinion wrote that the Court has “permitted race-based admissions only within the confines of narrow restrictions. University programs must comply with strict scrutiny, they may never use race as a stereotype or negative, and -- at some point -- they must end.”  

The opinion ended with this: “nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant's discussion of how race has affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise. But, despite the dissent's assertion to the contrary, universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today.” The full text of the majority opinion, as well as concurring and dissenting opinions can be found here. 

This is not the outcome many of us were hoping for and we understand how challenging this news will feel to many of you. As we have seen in other states where the use of race in college admissions has been banned, we can expect that Black and Brown students across the Commonwealth will be negatively impacted in their pursuit of postsecondary pathways and may fail to enroll at their best fit institutions.  There’s no doubt about it, this ruling will severely impact how our profession can close achievement and equity gaps and we regret the Court’s decision.  

In the coming weeks, we encourage you to attend the webinar, “The Supreme Court Speaks: Understanding the Implication of Race-Conscious Admission Decision” hosted by NACAC and NASFAA, and AACRAO on July 19, at 3:00 pm ET. Registration and more information can be found here. You can also read a joint statement from NACAC and ASCA, declaring our support for Black and Brown students that “...not only do you belong in higher education, but we need you in our classrooms and on our campuses…” here. 

Over the longer term, our Public Advocacy team, along with the Inclusion, Access and Success and Government Relations Committees are here to support you with tools and programs as we navigate the new environment and we encourage you to reach out to [email protected] and [email protected] for help and assistance.  

For those of you who attended the 60th Annual PACAC Conference this week, you’ll remember the words of our keynote speaker, Lawrence Alexander, who inspired us to use this moment not as a struggle, but an opportunity to change the ways we think about diversity and strive to create new means of fostering inclusion for the benefit of all students. 

Sincerely,

Hillen Grason Jr., PACAC President
Stacey Cunitz, PACAC Immediate Past President
Joni Klopp, PACAC President-Elect
Emilia Peiffer, PSCA Executive Director
Dr. Jennifer Kirk, PSCA Board Chair
Larissa Valonis, PSCA Board Assistant Chair