Title

Brown Reviews Fairness in Admissions, Student Life

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April 10, 2019

Brown University president Christina Paxson released a letter Tuesday announcing a review of policies on "fairness" in admissions and in student life. She said that preliminary reviews of the admission of athletes -- an area exploited in the current admissions scandal -- have not revealed problems at Brown. But she said further reviews would examine the issue in more detail.

She also announced reviews of student life, noting recent criticism of favoritism to donors' children in admissions and in activities once enrolled.

"This year there have been reports of instances in which students were given, or appeared to have been given, preferential treatment -- for example, through invitations to exclusive off-campus dinners that were supported by university staff; requests of faculty to write letters in support of applicants whom they had met with only briefly; and allegations of favoritism in housing assignments," she wrote. "Preferential treatment, real or suspected, for students based on wealth or privilege is corrosive to our community. We are looking carefully at all our practices across the university -- from alumni and parent engagement, to residential life, to academic concerns, to student conduct -- to make sure that favoritism has no influence on students’ experiences."

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