Over half of Seton Hall’s class of 2027 is students of color, according to University officials.
Dr. Alyssa McCloud, vice president for Enrollment Management, said Seton Hall’s incoming freshman classes “have always been very diverse.”
“We benefit from a strong reputation as a diverse and welcoming community,” McCloud said, and added that race was never considered in Seton Hall admissions.
This past summer, the Supreme Court overturned Affirmative Action, a program that many other colleges used to factor race into admissions to ensure that minority groups were fairly considered.
The term affirmative action was first coined in the 1960s as part of President John F. Kennedy’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. It was developed in light of the civil rights movement and designed to prevent discrimination based on national origin, religion, gender, and race.
Jacob Skinner, a freshman biology major, said, “future classes might not be as diverse as they used to be.”
According to McCloud, Seton Hall had never used affirmative action in admissions before the legislation was overturned.
“We have never factored race into our consideration for admission and we recruit widely across the country in all communities,” McCloud said. “Seton Hall is a true reflection of our world and community, which makes for a very rich learning environment.”
Natalie Metula, a freshman biology major, said, “I knew coming in that Seton Hall is very diverse. If you are just stuck in one bubble and all you see is through one lens, how will you grow?”
Nadine Sharabi can be reached at nadine.sharabi@student.shu.edu
