AFT leaders criticize new federal order on college admissions data

Leaders from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) have issued statements in response to President Donald Trump’s recent directive that requires colleges and universities to disclose more student data. The directive is intended to ensure that institutions are not considering race in their admissions processes.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “Colleges and universities have complied with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action and, in fact, have followed the court’s guidance in considering applicants’ personal statements about how race has influenced their lives. So let’s be real about what this directive means. This is not about ensuring fairness but about taking away opportunity for all by going backward to make higher education a special entitlement for some. It is an attempt to chill 60 years’ worth of efforts to create a just and inclusive society. Diversity in colleges and universities is important because it teaches all of us about tolerance and inclusion. These are skills that help people become good citizens, to know and understand one another, and to become engaged, educated members of society and the workforce. That’s a big part of what the college experience is. Why would anyone oppose that?”

Fedrick Ingram, AFT Secretary-Treasurer, commented on the impact for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), stating: “Historically Black colleges and universities were born in moments just like this—when the government uses its power to target and disenfranchise. They have survived the post-Reconstruction backlash and Jim Crow laws, and they will survive the Trump administration, but this is no doubt a direct challenge to their very existence. At best, this cruel order will force HBCUs to divert their historically smaller staff away from education to focus on the president’s obsession with eradicating diversity. At worst, it will eradicate HBCUs as we know them—erasing vital engines of opportunity for Black America that have consistently produced half of the country’s teachers, doctors and lawyers. This order reflects the country’s most retrograde idea: that race can divide people. To see others as you see yourself, no matter how they look, their accent or ancestral homeland, is what makes our country a beacon to millions around the world. By signing this order, Trump has revealed a vital truth about his leadership: He has no vision for America’s future because he is solely focused on reliving the worst parts of its past.”

AAUP President Todd Wolfson also responded: “The Trump administration’s intimidation of higher ed workers and students must end now. Making higher education welcoming and accessible to students from all backgrounds is legal, fair and just. Trump has made it clear that his administration’s real goal is to roll back 60 years of advancements in equal opportunity and civil rights. We must not go back to a time when only the privileged could get a college education. This and other executive orders eliminating federal funding and forcing faculty to end legally permissible work will deprive students of opportunities for educational advancement and economic flourishing. AAUP is committed to ensuring that all students in all subjects receive the full, fair and honest education they deserve—that they have the opportunity and the freedom to learn. We will continue to fight for a world where this is a reality.”

The directive follows ongoing national debate over affirmative action policies after recent Supreme Court decisions addressing race-conscious admissions practices at U.S. colleges.