The law school's admissions page initially stated that "all applicants" were required to submit a 90-second video statement in response to a randomly chosen question. Screenshots of the website shared by the Washington Free Beacon indicated that the purpose of the video statement was to provide the Admissions Committee with additional insight into applicants' personal strengths and achievements.
Critics swiftly condemned Columbia for implementing the video statement requirement following the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action, accusing the school of trying to circumvent the decision. However, by Monday evening, the law school had removed the requirement from its website.
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A spokesperson for Columbia Law School explained that the video statement requirement had been posted in error and would not be part of the Fall 2024 J.D. application when it becomes available in September. The spokesperson clarified that the requirement had been inadvertently listed on the website and had since been corrected.
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Columbia claimed that the video statement requirement had been introduced in May as a pilot program for transfer applicants but had since concluded. However, archived pages reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon revealed that the video requirement for all students was added to the website in late June, following the Supreme Court's decision.
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The timing of the requirement raised suspicions among some Columbia Law School students. One student commented, "The timing is so suspect, I have to wonder, are they that dumb?" Another student remarked, "They're not even trying to hide it."
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Dan Morenoff, the executive director of the American Civil Rights Project, expressed his concerns about the video requirement, stating, "There's no reason the school would need a video, so the requirement of such a submission is powerful evidence of an intent to discriminate." Morenoff added, "It's hard to imagine a clearer pretextual work-around for the Supreme Court's decision."
In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling, several universities have faced accusations of incorporating essay prompts centered around identity. Critics worry that these types of questions will enable the continuation of race-based admission practices.
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