Local Colleges Weigh in on White House Plan to Look at Admissions Practices

Its been a hot-button and sometimes polarizing issue for several years.  Now the Trump administration is stepping into the Affirmative Action debate.

47 ABC's Erica Murphy has details. 

Are U-S colleges discriminating against applicants?

That's a question it looks like the Trump administration plans to get to the bottom of.

According to the New York Times –the White House is looking for lawyers within the Justice Department who are willing to be part of a special task force aimed at examining whether affirmative action policies at schools of higher learning are locking out white students. 

Could the impending investigation affect schools on Delmarva?

Well we reached out to several local universities and collleges in the area for comment. 

Officials with the University System of Maryland sent this statement. 

"Admission to the institutions of the University System of Maryland shall be determined without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, or disabling condition. The undergraduate student population of USM institutions should draw from all areas of the state and reflect the diversity of the state's population. Consistent with their individual missions, institutions will seek to enroll the students having greatest potential to benefit from their programs. Each institution shall take appropriate actions in its admissions procedures to achieve these goals, consistent with State and Federal laws."

47 ABC also spoke to a couple historically black colleges including the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. In a statement from an official there:

"UMES has a long history as a public institution where students from all backgrounds and walks of life are encouraged to apply and enroll. Our enrollment records bear that out."

Locally – The University of Delaware came under fire in recent years for its lack of diversity and was ordered to create programs to address the problem. 

Its unclear exactly when the investigation into college admissions practices will get underway. 

However — some activist groups say re-directing the civil rights division of the Justice Department in this way is an affront to the agency's goals. 

Erica Murphy. 47 ABC.