Department of Education Takes Aim at All Race-Conscious Higher Ed Practices
美国教育部最近发布的这一指令标志着高等教育中种族考量政策的法律环境发生重大变化。由民权事务代理助理部长克雷格·W·特雷诺（Craig W. Trainor）撰写的信函明确警告，包括哈佛大学在内的所有联邦资助机构，任何在决策过程中考虑种族因素的做法都在最高法院 2023 年关于平权行动的裁决下被禁止。这一禁令不仅适用于招生，还涵盖了财政资助、奖学金、住宿及校园生活的其他方面。
值得注意的是，教育部的立场还指出，即使表面上看似种族中立的项目，如果被认定是出于种族考量的动机，也可能被视为违法。这表明政府对涉及种族因素的政策审查将更加严格。
根据该信函，教育机构不得在“招生、雇佣、晋升、薪酬、财政资助、奖学金、奖项、行政支持、纪律处分、住宿、毕业典礼及学生、学术和校园生活的所有其他方面”考虑种族因素。
特雷诺进一步强调：“简单来说，教育机构既不得基于种族区分或隔离学生，也不得基于种族分配福利或负担。”
尽管在最高法院裁决支持“学生公平录取组织”（Students for Fair Admissions）并反对哈佛大学后，哈佛未在财政资助或奖学金方面考虑种族因素，也未明确在招生中考量种族，但该信函指出，一些表面上种族中立的项目也可能违法。
“尽管某些项目在表面上似乎是中立的，但深入审查可能会发现它们实际上受到种族考量的驱动，”特雷诺写道。“无论以何种形式，基于种族的决策仍然是不可接受的。”
在最高法院于 2023 年作出裁决后，哈佛在其大学申请材料中新增了一项必填补充题，要求学生反思“招收多元化学生群体的重要性”以及他们自身的生活经历。这一调整是基于法院指导意见，即种族可作为申请者个人经历的一部分加以考虑。然而，教育部在周五的信函中对这种做法提出质疑。
信中指出，大学和学院“不得利用学生的个人作文、写作样本、课外活动参与或其他线索来推测或确定学生的种族，并据此给予优待或歧视。”
针对该信函，哈佛大学发言人拒绝发表评论。
The Department of Education warned Harvard and other federally funded institutions not to use any race-based decision-making on Friday, arguing in a Dear Colleague letter that all such practices are illegal under the Supreme Court’s decision outlawing race-conscious admissions.
The department’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig W. Trainor wrote in the letter that the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to effectively strike down affirmative action applies to financial aid, scholarships, and housing. He wrote that the department will consider steps to revoke federal funding to institutions found to consider race in their programming after Feb. 28.
According to the letter, educational institutions cannot consider race in decisions about “admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”
“Put simply, educational institutions may neither separate or segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race,” Trainor added.
While Harvard does not determine financial aid or scholarships based upon race or explicitly consider race after the Court ruled against the University in favor of Students for Fair Admissions, the letter also argued some race-neutral programs could also be illegal.
“Although some programs may appear neutral on their face, a closer look reveals that they are, in fact, motivated by racial considerations,” Trainor wrote. “And race-based decision-making, no matter the form, remains impermissible.”
After the Court’s 2023 decision, Harvard added a required supplemental prompt to its college application asking students to reflect on the “the importance of enrolling a diverse student body” and their own life experiences. While the change reflected guidance from the Court that race could be considered as part of an applicant’s lived experiences, the Friday letter called such practices into question.
In the letter, Trainor wrote that colleges and universities “may not use students’ personal essays, writing samples, participation in extracurriculars, or other cues as a means of determining or predicting a student’s race and favoring or disfavoring such students.”
A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment for this article.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/2/18/acting-education-assistant-sec-warns-harvard-race/
