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Colorado Universities and Colleges react to Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Decision

Impacts of current enrollment efforts in diversity
Supreme Court
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COLORADO — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in college admissions, overturning the long-standing program that sought to increase the diversity of U.S. campuses.

Now, race cannot be a factor in college admissions.

The rulings brought against the University of North Carolina and Harvard missions programs as much as 45 years ago.

When it comes to enrollment efforts in diversity, UCCS and Colorado College (CC) said not much will change.

"Our priority right now is making sure our students know we're not wavering in our commitment to diversity, that all students still feel comfortable on campus," said one UCCS spokesperson Jenna Press.

In a statement, CC said in part, "We remain steadfast in our commitment to enrolling a diverse student body comprised of people from different backgrounds and lived experiences."

One UCCS student said race shouldn't be the defining factor to get into college.

"Academic-wise, I think it will be fair, capability-wise, it will be fair, as for who is represented, I'm not sure how that's going to look so that's something only time will tell," said Esi Fynn.

Another UCCS student said they worry about the number of diverse students could go down.

"It's kind of a step in the wrong direction and that's a little bit scary," said student body VP Aidan Clark.

According to CC's website, about 25% of students identified with multicultural backgrounds.

UCCS currently has 34% of students with multicultural backgrounds, said Press.

"UCCS actually does a really good job at hosting events and helping you find your community, so I feel no matter the circumstances, we will find each other," said Fynn.

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