(ThyBlackMan.com) A little more than a year ago, I wrote about the MERIT Act, which was introduced by Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Tim Kaine of Virginia.
Democrat Kaine and Republican Young proposed MERIT, which stands for Merit-Based Educational Reforms Institutional Transparency. The proposed bill would curtail legacy admissions in higher education.
A “legacy” in this context refers to a high school student whose close relative (e.g., mother, grandfather, etc.) attended a college or university to which the student has applied — especially if it’s an “elite” institution. MERIT is designed to level the playing field vis-à-vis non-legacy high school students. According to a report from Education Reform Now, more than 100 colleges and universities have eradicated preferences for legacies since 2015. Still, there were nearly 800 institutions that employed the practice as of 2020.
In part the bill reads, “To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the standards for accreditation of an institution of higher education to assess the institution’s adoption of admissions practices that refrain from preferential treatment in admissions based on an applicant’s relationship to alumni of, or donors to, the institution, to authorize a feasibility study on data collection, and for other purposes.”
Despite the fact that Congress has yet to pass MERIT, Young and Kaine should be given credit for attempting to make college admissions more equitable. Bipartisanship is quite rare these days; it is good to know that politicians still reach across the aisle in an effort to benefit their constituents.
Of course, Americans are increasingly hearing from politicians, pundits, and even entertainers regarding the importance of “merit” in enhancing our society. By definition, then, they agree with me that America is not currently structured in a way that rewards those who are the most qualified to be hired and/or promoted in any given field of endeavor.
Indeed, there have been incessant calls for “merit” to supplant DEI in every facet of American life, with the implicit (and sometimes explicit) claim that the latter is antithetical to the former. Thus, I am calling on all government officials at the federal, state, and local levels to aggressively launch a nationwide effort to codify merit in our laws.
The new legislation should do four things.
First, the laws should expressly confirm that America has never been a meritocracy. This nation enshrined racial discrimination in the Constitution. It then enforced those laws by custom and — when deemed necessary — by violence.
Second, the new laws should recognize that the effect of centuries of racial discrimination against people of color has been self-reinforcing. Thus, our contemporary society is intentionally, inherently, and inveterately non-meritocratic.
Third, the new laws should clearly and unequivocally define what “merit” is for every role and responsibility in our nation. Regarding this point, removing all ambiguity from the definition will ensure that a single, objective standard applies to all people, irrespective of their race, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, or any other personal characteristic. Anything less would be a sham.
Finally, the new laws must impose strict penalties, including incarceration, on those who violate them. We will then be able to hold individuals and institutions accountable for their failure to hire people based on the legal definition of merit. As a nation that proudly espouses deep respect for the rule of law, this element is essential.
Fortunately, there are real-world examples that we can look to.
Consider college football’s Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually to the athlete who is deemed to be the best player in that sport. Even in these very polarizing times, there is never a raging debate regarding the race or ethnicity of the winner.
That is because the measures of success are clear (though the relative weighting of any given criterion isn’t exact). There are biases based upon geography or conference affiliation, but those tend to be minor and non-controversial. If college football can figure out what merit means, so can the rest of the nation.
Here’s to ushering in a new era of meritocracy in America!
Written by Larry Smith
