The Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee voted over a dozen bills out of committee Thursday — moving forward some new pieces of legislation that may encourage more diversity in post-secondary education.
Legislation that would ban legacy admissions at Connecticut universities, prohibit the use of student disciplinary history in college admissions and expand a college awareness program were among the 15 bills that received favorable votes.
Here is a look at some of the bills to make it out of the committee.
Legacy admissions
Senate Bill 203 would ban a practice that gives college admission preference to applicants who have a familial relationship to alumni.
Lawmakers amended the original bill language to include that preference also cannot be given to students who have a relationship to donors and clarified that universities can still inquire about these types of relationships but responses cannot be used to give applicants an advantage in the process.
Similar legislation across the country, including in states like Virginia, California and Maryland, is being considered on the heels of the Supreme Court decision last year that ruled that race-conscious admissions were unconstitutional.
[Supreme Court affirmative action ruling ruffles Yale, CT schools]
“When you compare applicants, who have the same grades and GPA, and one is a legacy and other is not, that legacy student — and we know that they are by far disproportionally wealthy and by far disproportionally white, as well — they are six times more likely to gain admittance,” said Sen. Derek Slap, co-chair of the committee. “The United States Supreme Court, as we all know just last year, took away certain preference and said ‘You cannot give preference based on race.’ … I think it’s outrageous though that this preference — the one for wealthy folk — remains.”
The bill passed out of committee 18-4, and despite general support, several lawmakers voiced concern and said they hope to iron out kinks in the bill as it heads to the Senate.
“Some [concerns] have to do with the fact that I believe alumni of color are against some of the provisions here. And also, is this going to … affect siblings being able to go to the same colleges?” said Rep. Dominique Johnson, D-Norwalk.
“I will vote to move this forward, but I will be inquiring on my own with institutions regarding their view on the new language,” said Rep. Francis Cooley, R-Plainville.
Other lawmakers had stronger criticisms, arguing that the bill was the start of a “slippery slope.”
“I think it’s one thing for our state government to put these rules and regulations on public institutions like UConn and the Connecticut State College and Universities system. I think it’s quite a different issue when we start interfering in the relations of private institutions with their students,” said Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford. “The one thing that has created American exceptionalism is the ability of our academic communities to exercise their freedom to teach how they are and what they are and prepare our citizenry for the future. I think when the state government starts to interfere in that process, we’re not only interfering in private relations of institutions, but we’re also interfering in American excellence.”
[Wesleyan University ends legacy admissions. How common is it?]
Disciplinary records
The committee also heavily debated House Bill 5339, which would prohibit higher education institutions from using a student’s school disciplinary history during the admissions process.
Proponents of the bill argued students of color often disproportionately face the brunt of disciplinary measures. Data from the state Department of Education shows that Black students are three times more likely than their white peers to receive a suspension or expulsion, whereas Latino students are twice as likely to be expelled or suspended compared to white peers.
“When students are completing their application, a question [about disciplinary history] is a barrier. It’s a show stopper. There’s evidence that students who have had even minor infractions stop their application process when they face that question because it’s a signal that perhaps they will not be welcomed or that it’s a fruitless endeavor,” said Rep. Gregg Haddad, co-chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, adding that the legislation came out of conversations with the Juvenile Justice Oversight Council. “I think this is an important issue because of the racial disparity among students and people who have disciplinary records and in that respect, … I think it’s especially another small thing we can do to ensure that all students are getting a fair shake as we move forward.”
Rep. Corey Paris, D-Stamford, added that by eliminating disciplinary records in college admission processes, it will ensure that “past mistakes made during adolescence don’t unfairly hinder individuals from assessing higher education.
“It certainly promotes a more equitable and rehabilitative approach, again, refocusing on the academic potential and … personal growth rather than past transgressions,” Paris said.
Under the language of the bill, higher education institutions would still have access to a student’s criminal history, but that isn’t enough for some lawmakers who argue that an offense can be serious, but not pursued in the legal system.
“One area that hasn’t really been discussed is students suspended for plagiarism and other serious academic offenses. I think that it’s important for the college to be able to have that information when saying which applicant they’re going to be choosing,” Cooley said. “I don’t really care if the kid was 17 or not. You commit certain infractions? There’s got to be a consequence and I wouldn’t want that student to get that last slot as opposed to a student who worked straight through and did not have academic violations.”
“If someone was bullying on social media, or had speech that involved racism or anti-semitism that wouldn’t be able to be seen until after the admission process [unless they broke the law],” said Rep. Steve Weir, R-Hebron. “Just because it doesn’t end up with a criminal record, doesn’t mean it wasn’t a serious offense.”
The legislation passed 13-9.
More opportunities
Another bill that would expand college opportunity for students across the state is House Bill 5239 — an act that would expand the Connecticut Collegiate Awareness and Preparation Program.
The program “provides outreach and services to middle school and high school students to prepare such students for successful completion of postsecondary education at institutions of higher education,” and specifically targets “students who are disadvantaged, including, but not limited to, students from low-income families and first-generation postsecondary education students,” according to language in the bill.
The bill would allocate $4.8 million to the Office of Higher Education and would expand the funding from just higher education institutions to nonprofit organizations that promote “collegiate awareness and preparation programs in the state with a demonstrated record of successful completions by students.”
Haddad said Connecticut institutions could use the money to ease the college transition for low-income and first-generation students by inviting them to stay on campus throughout the summer. Other uses include teaching students about the college application process in high school and assistance with financial aid applications.
“This is one of those pieces of legislations that’s not going to get a lot of headlines or TV coverage, but it’s critically important for expanding opportunities, … especially in light of the Supreme Court decision last year that struck down race-conscious admissions,” Slap added.
The bill passed unanimously.
Stone Academy
In February 2023, private nursing school Stone Academy abruptly shut down amid questions about its examination passage rates, faculty qualifications and clinical training.
The school’s closure left hundreds of students unable to continue their education and several told The Connecticut Mirror that they had been concerned that the school was on shaky footing.
House Bill 5237 would require student surveys during a private career school’s state evaluation for certification renewal.
“Stone academy, one private occupation school, fell victim to financial insecurity and left a lot of students in the lurch,” Haddad said. “As a result, we’re looking for ways to strengthen our regulatory environment [over those schools] in reasonable ways.”
The bill passed unanimously as part of the committee’s consent calendar.