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The Dartmouth
July 10, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Daily Debriefing

An amendment to North Carolina's constitution that bans same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships and civil unions will have uncertain effects on faculty and students on college campuses in the state, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Supporters and opponents of the legislation have expressed different opinions on the way in which the measure would affect benefits provided to homosexual college employees and students. While some worry that college workers in same-sex relationships will be deprived of benefits, proponents argue that colleges will find ways to keep benefits intact. Contractual arrangements between private parties are exempt from the amendment, potentially allowing public colleges to keep benefits provided to employees by private companies, The Chronicle reported. The University of Carolina system does allow college employees to list same-sex partners when seeking benefits, and students are also able to add same-sex partners to their health insurance plans. The potential impacts of the amendment are still being evaluated, but polls show that at least six in 10 voters support the measure, The Chronicle reported. Benefits for domestic partners offered by public colleges and universities in other states that passed similar bans on same-sex marriage have been ruled illegal, according to Inside Higher Education.

Harvard University saw an 81 percent yield for its class of 2016, a 4-percent increase from last year's rate, The Harvard Crimson reported. The university projects that only about 25 waitlisted students will be accepted. This year which is the first year since the university renewed its early admissions program marks the first time the yield rate has reached 80 percent since the admission of the class of 1975, according to The Crimson. The university admitted 772 students in December during the early action program and 1,260 students in March under regular decision. Of these, 1,641 chose to accept their offers of admission, according to The Crimson. William Fitzsimmons, Harvard's dean of admissions and financial aid, said he attributes the increase to the return of the early action program, the economic climate and increased awareness of new programs at Harvard, The Crimson reported. Fitzsimmons said that early action students generally have a stronger interest in Harvard than those who apply regular decision and are therefore less likely to apply to other schools and more likely to attend Harvard.