I found Table 5.2 from page 47 of Arcidiacono’s report most striking:
Asians in the top academic decile have an admission rate of 9.36% compared to 49.45% for blacks in the same decile. Note that the baseline dataset excludes Harvard legacies and athletes, so the differences in admission rates cannot be attributed to relative skill in college basketball.
Harvard’s email conveniently omits Roberts’ next sentence, which appears to anticipate the exploitation of the “adversity” loophole. From page 39 of the opinion:
But, despite the dissent’s assertion to the contrary, universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today. (A dissenting opinion is generally not the best source of legal advice on how to comply with the majority opinion.)
I have no doubt the universities will persist in their crusade for diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) regardless of the law. Sooner or later, these efforts will be met with competition from meritocratic, and therefore higher-quality, institutions. How long until wealthy Western families begin sending their children abroad to attend elite Chinese schools?