The Young America’s Foundation (YAF) filed a civil rights complaint Thursday against Gettysburg College, accusing the institution of violating federal law by prioritizing racial quotas in its undergraduate admissions process.
The complaint, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education’s Philadelphia office, centers on a March 31 student senate meeting in which Gettysburg’s senior assistant director of admissions reportedly unveiled a strategy to admit “20% domestic students of color” and 15% international students for the Fall 2025 incoming class.
YAF alleges that this approach flouts the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the use of race as a factor in college admissions, calling such policies a violation of the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
“YAF respectfully requests that you investigate Gettysburg College’s admission policies and practices to ensure ‘the doctrine of equality,’ not ‘race consciousness,’ is in place and properly enforced, consistent with prevailing law,” the group’s complaint reads.
The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and UNC mandated that colleges and universities could no longer consider race in admissions decisions. Following the ruling, the Department of Education issued formal guidance in February reminding schools of their legal obligations and warning that failure to comply with the Court’s decision could result in the loss of federal funding.
READ: Lawsuit Filed To Block Florida’s Anti-Illegal Immigrant Law
Despite this, Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano reportedly lamented the decision in a campus-wide email, stating that the Court had “profoundly undercut the ability of colleges and universities to educate today’s students most effectively,” according to YAF’s complaint.
The controversy comes amid a broader crackdown by federal authorities. The Department of Justice recently opened investigations into several elite California institutions, including UCLA, over similar concerns. UCLA’s post-ruling strategy, which includes personalized outreach to minority students and a shift to “holistic” application reviews, is under scrutiny for potentially sidestepping the Court’s ban on race-based admissions.
YAF argues that Gettysburg’s explicit diversity benchmarks resemble racial quotas, which are now prohibited, and is urging federal officials to intervene.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
