Many leaders at Historically Black Colleges and Universities are quietly having conversations about how to proceed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action. 

Some campus officials expect a deluge of applications from Black prospective students dismayed by the decision or anticipating being rejected by selective predominantly white institutions in higher numbers. Others believe the projected wave of new students is being overstated and have adopted a wait-and-see approach.

Illustration: Pat Kinsella

As colleges adjust to the new legal reality surrounding race in college admissions, there are two things that higher-ed leaders can do to increase diversity, contends Josh Wyner of the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute in this op-ed.

First, they must increase need-based financial aid so that more racially diverse students are admitted and can afford to enroll. Second, Wyner says they need to recruit and admit more highly qualified students transferring from community colleges.

“I think it's really important to make clear that numbers don't define students. Affirmative action does not prioritize people who don't deserve to be on college campuses. It actually improves access for people.”

In this interview, student leaders of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Affirmative Action Coalition share their thoughts about the role affirmative action plays in ensuring that underrepresented students have opportunities to pursue higher education.