The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has banned the use of “race, sex, color and ethnicity” in admissions and hiring decisions, The Associated Press reports.
The decision by the university’s Board of Trustees comes only a few weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court declared their university’s race-conscious admissions policy unconstitutional. Race-based affirmative action in college admissions was outlawed in two verdicts made public on June 29 by court majorities against Harvard University and UNC-Chapel Hill, which are the country’s oldest private and public universities, respectively.
“I’m confident that we’re taking all the necessary steps to fully comply” with the decisions, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said, according to the AP.
Even as colleges nationwide work to find new ways to have diverse student bodies, the resolution informs the UNC-Chapel Hill administration that some approaches are no longer acceptable.
The resolution, first approved by the board’s audit committee last week, states that no person or group shall be given “preferential treatment” because of their race. In addition, the university cannot adopt any hiring or admissions policy based on “race-based preferences” “through essays or other means.”
The trustees also considered various ways to comply with last month’s UNC-Chapel Hill verdict, which concluded that the school’s use of race in admissions violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
“What we’re trying to do is be proactive with this and make sure that we’re in compliance and that we’re providing equal protection,” trustee Marty Kotis said.
Three weeks ago, Chancellor Guskiewicz announced that the institution would provide free tuition to students from households earning less than $80,000 per year. The program, which could aid in the expansion of diversity efforts, is paid for by private donations.