Recent news that the U.S. Department of Justice might redirect resources to investigate the use of race in college admissions rightly prompted much-concerned commentary in policy and educational circles. It seems appropriate for the community to pause and reflect on the larger issues at stake in this important debate about equity and inclusion.

Just as the announcement that the Trump administration was implementing an immigration ban drew the ire of administrators at colleges and universities across the nation, so too, did a media report that the U.S. Department of Justice was looking to go after universities that employ affirmative action in their admission processes.

In the days since The New York Times reported the story, colleges and universities—small and large—have been vocal in condemning any attacks on the more than five-decade policy aimed at leveling the racial playing field in higher education.