Graduate Student Council debates legacy admissions
Diego Kagurabadza ’25, Undergraduate Senate (UGS) chair and incoming Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) president, urged the Graduate Student Council (GSC) to recommend an end to legacy admissions at a meeting Tuesday.
The Joint Resolution on the Status of Admissions Preferences” bill, which was also introduced to the UGS on Wednesday, reaffirms a joint resolution passed last October that called for the elimination of legacy preferences. That resolution followed the Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision to overturn affirmative action, and urged the University to continue to foster a diverse student body within legal limits.
Kagurabadza said the proposed resolution would allow Stanford to show support for the statewide movement against legacy admissions, and to join the national conversation alongside peer institutions. The California State Assembly is currently considering the prohibition of legacy and donor admissions.
“I think we hear a lot about Stanford as being innovative and as being a first mover. On an issue that’s of such national and state importance, I think it’d be nice for the University to commit to that tradition,” Kagurabadza said.
Kagurabadza said he was approached by Class Action, a national organization devoted to ending legacy admissions, which asked that Stanford join their campaign. Of 80 higher education institutions in California, Stanford is one of seven that still practices legacy and donor admissions, Kagurabadza said.
Graduate School of Business representative Chris West raised concerns about how the resolution would impact admissions following the Supreme Court’s overturning of affirmative action. He suggested that those who no longer benefit from affirmative action could still benefit from legacy admissions.
Kagurabadza responded that the proportion of legacy students from minority groups is small. Citing National Bureau of Economic Research data from 2019, he said 70% of those who benefitted from legacy and donor preference were white or European.
As councilors considered the resolution, Kagurabadza said he hopes it will increase pressure on the Faculty Senate to review its proposals and agree to certain demands next fall.
Councilors also considered the “Joint Bill to establish a Committee on Ethical Spending,” which proposed the formation of a predominantly student-run committee tasked with identifying and recommending against purchases or investments from unethical vendors to VSOs, ASSU funding committees and the Stanford Student Enterprise (SSE).
The committee would also investigate allegations made by students or community members about where ASSU funding is spent. Kagurabadza said any recommendations made are purely advisory and will be publicly available on the ASSU website, and can be ultimately rejected by VSOs.
West questioned the feasibility of the resolution but suggested that financial incentives may increase adherence to the recommendations.
Perry Nielsen Jr. M.S. ’24, the cabinet director for graduate student affairs, suggested that any recommendations made by the proposed committee should not be too complicated.
Councilors also reviewed the results of the ASSU elections. The GSC will certify election results on May 7 and hold its last official meeting on May 21.
Leon de Souza, the assistant elections commissioner, said that voter turnout was about 37% — almost double that of the previous year. All annual grants passed and the Statement on Divestment was also approved.
The post Graduate Student Council debates legacy admissions appeared first on The Stanford Daily.