Are legacy admissions on their way out?

+ democracy is declining worldwide US Edition - Today's top story: Support for legacy admissions is rooted in racial hierarchy [View in browser]( US Edition | 13 July 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Medication myths prevent effective treatment of opioid use disorder]( - [Accurate weather forecasts are a matter of life or death]( - [IVF, abortion and mice with two dads – on the future of assisted reproduction]( Lead story Back when I used to help students develop ideas for their college admission essays, I purchased a book called “50 Successful Harvard Application Essays: What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the College of Your Choice.” I enjoyed reading how students admitted to Harvard had turned seemingly ordinary childhood experiences into insightful stories. I used the book to show students that they all have stories to tell — it’s just a matter of recognizing and knowing how to tell them. Some students, however, don’t have to worry as much about distinguishing themselves through their essays. They are the children of parents who graduated from the college they seek to enter. They are known as “legacy” admits. Plenty of people have opinions about the [fairness of legacy admissions, or lack thereof](. Angélica S. Gutiérrez is one of the few academics who have actually researched the topic. Legacy admissions have faced increased criticism in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that bans the use of race in college admissions. However, as Gutiérrez notes, the reasons that many people support legacy admissions is actually rooted in race itself. One last note: If you are among the millions trying out new social media platforms, so are we. You can now follow us on [Threads](, [Bluesky](, [Mastodon]( and elsewhere. Jamaal Abdul-Alim Education Editor Critics of legacy admissions argue they maintain racial hierarchies that disproportionately benefit white students. YinYang/iStock via Getty Images [Support for legacy admissions is rooted in racial hierarchy]( Angelica S. Gutierrez, Loyola Marymount University Some colleges grant preferential treatment in the admission process to children of alumni. A researcher examines what’s behind people’s support for the practice. Politics + Society - [Many once-democratic countries continue to backslide, becoming less free – but their leaders continue to enjoy popular support]( Nisha Bellinger, Boise State University Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, president of Turkey, and Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary, are two leaders who have consolidated power using a similar playbook. - [Puerto Rico has been part of the US for 125 years, but its future remains contested]( Jorge Duany, Florida International University The political status of Puerto Rico continues to be intensely contested, but measures to make the island the 51st state remain elusive. 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Other times it’s less a choice than the only option. - [Putting a price on exoskeleton assistance puts users in the driver’s seat of honing the tech]( Elliott Rouse, University of Michigan Asking users the dollar value of the costs and benefits of walking in exoskeletons is a better way of finding out how users feel about them than measuring calories saved. - [Promising assisted reproductive technologies come with ethical, legal and social challenges – a developmental biologist and a bioethicist discuss IVF, abortion and the mice with two dads]( Keith Latham, Michigan State University; Mary Faith Marshall, University of Virginia Scientists can create viable eggs from two male mice. In the wake of CRISPR controversies and restrictive abortion laws, two experts start a dialogue on ethical research in reproductive biology. Health + Medicine - [Myths about will power and moral weakness keep people with opioid use disorder from receiving effective medications like methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone]( Melissa S. Fry, Indiana University; Melissa Cyders, Indiana University Prescription medications can help people with opioid use disorder avoid the risks of relapse and overdose. But stigma based on misperceptions about addiction limits their use. Environment + Energy - [Climate change is increasing stress on thousands of aging dams across the US]( Hiba Baroud, Vanderbilt University More extreme rainfall and frequent storms are raising the risk that floodwaters could spill over dams, or that dams could fail. - [Weather forecast accuracy is crucial in a heat wave – 1 degree can mean the difference between life and death]( Derek Lemoine, University of Arizona; Jeffrey Shrader, Columbia University; Laura Bakkensen, University of Arizona Three economists looked at years of temperature and death data and calculated the costs when forecasts miss the mark. 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