By Nandita Bose and Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Thursday urged colleges to take into account challenges that applicants face, including racial discrimination, during the admissions process after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions considerations.
The court struck down race-conscious student admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, in a sharp setback to affirmative action policies often used to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented minority groups on campuses.
"The court effectively ended affirmative action, and I strongly disagree with the court's decision," Biden told reporters at the White House.
"We cannot let this decision to be the last word," he added.
Biden said he was directing the U.S. Department of Education to analyze what practices will help build more inclusive and diverse student bodies and what practices impede that goal. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the agency will provide resources to colleges and universities addressing lawful admissions in the next 45 days.
In his remarks, Biden proposed that applicants first have to qualify under a college's academic standards, but then admissions officials would take into account "adversity" criteria, such as financial means, living situations and whether or not the applicant faced racial discrimination.
"The truth is - we all know it - discrimination still exists in America," Biden said.
The affirmative action ruling is the latest in a string of setbacks on issues that were once considered settled, such as abortion rights, delivered by the conservative-leaning court.
Asked as he was leaving the room whether the Supreme Court was a rogue court, Biden paused, then responded, "this is not a normal court."
The White House has been meeting with civil rights organizations, universities, and legal organizations to come up with a contingency plan if the court struck down affirmative action, Jean-Pierre said.
Biden had met regularly with his team over the last month to discuss potential responses that allow colleges and universities to recognize when a student overcame barriers and inequities, and place a value on that in the admissions process, she added.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
