“Access and Gatekeeping in the Academy”

Recent U.S. Supreme court rulings and the 2019 “Operation Varsity Blues College Admissions Scandal” have resulted in intense discussions about who has the right or opportunity to pursue a college degree. Operation Varsity Blues, in particular, made it very clear that the admissions processes at some universities reproduce long-standing racist, classist, and ableist inequities in larger society. For instance, so-called “merit-based” admissions processes, including the overreliance on standardized test scores and financial aid to affluent families, result in race and wealth gaps at institutions of higher education.