BOSTON (AP) — Opening a new front in legal battles over college admissions, the U.S. Department of Education has launched a civil rights investigation into Harvard University’s policies on legacy admissions.

Top colleges’ preferential treatment of children of alumni, who are often white, has faced mounting scrutiny since the Supreme Court last month struck down the use of affirmative action as a tool to boost the presence of students of color.

The department notified Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, on Monday that it was investigating the group’s claim that alleges the university “discriminates on the basis of race by using donor and legacy preferences in its undergraduate admissions process.”

An Education Department spokesperson confirmed its Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation at Harvard. The agency declined further comment.

The complaint was filed earlier this month on behalf of Black and Latino community groups in New England. The group argued that students with legacy ties are up to seven times more likely to be admitted to Harvard, can make up nearly a third of a class and that about 70% are white. For the Class of 2019, about 28% of the class were legacies with a parent or other relative who went to Harvard.

“Qualified and highly deserving applicants of color are harmed as a result, as admissions slots are given instead to the overwhelmingly white applicants who benefit from Harvard’s legacy and donor preferences,” the group said in a statement. “Even worse, this preferential treatment has nothing to do with an applicant’s merit. Instead, it is an unfair and unearned benefit that is conferred solely based on the family that the applicant is born into.”

A spokesperson for Harvard on Tuesday said the university has been reviewing its admissions policies to ensure compliance with the law since the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action.

“As this work continues, and moving forward, Harvard remains dedicated to opening doors to opportunity and to redoubling our efforts to encourage students from many different backgrounds to apply for admission,” the spokesperson said.

Ending legacy preferences is “one of many steps that Harvard and other universities can take to increase access, diversity, and equity in admissions,” said Jane Sujen Bock, a board member of the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, which includes alumni, student and staff.

Last week, Wesleyan University in Connecticut announced that it would end its policy of giving preferential treatment in admissions to those whose families have historical ties to the school. Wesleyan President Michael Roth said a student’s “legacy status” has played a negligible role in admissions, but would now be eliminated entirely.

In recent years, schools including Amherst College in Massachusetts, Carnegie Melon University in Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University in Maryland also have eliminated legacy admissions.

Legacy policies have been called into question after last month’s Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action and any consideration of race in college admissions. The court’s conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years, forcing institutions of higher education to seek new ways to achieve student diversity.

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said he commended the Education Department for taking steps to ensure the higher education system “works for every American, not just a privileged few.”

“Every talented and qualified student deserves an opportunity to attend the college of their choice. Affirmative Action existed to support that notion. Legacy admissions exists to undermine it,” he said.

A study led by Harvard and Brown researchers, published Monday, found that wealthy students were twice as likely to be admitted to elite schools compared to their lower- or middle-income counterparts who have similar standardized test scores.

The study looked at family income and admissions data at the Ivy League and Stanford, MIT, Duke and the University of Chicago, found that legacy admissions policies were a contributing factor to the advantage high-income students have at these schools. Athletic recruitment and extracurricular credentials, which are stronger when students attend affluent private high schools, were the other two factors.

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Associated Press reporters Annie Ma and Gary Fields contributed from Washington, D.C.

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The world’s largest historically Black college and university (HBCU) homecoming is returning to New York with a series of events, including a football game at MetLife Stadium, and an after-party headlined by DJ Envy on September 16th.

Raashaun Casey, popularly known as DJ Envy, is the co-host of the syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club” with Charlamagne Tha God. He will be headlining the after-party of the HBCU New York Classic, which will take place at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the second-largest mall in the country.

Casey, the Queens native and Hampton University alum, said he is glad to have attended an HBCU and wants to bring the southern HBCU spirit to his hometown.

“Let’s bring the HBCU atmosphere to New York (since) a lot of these students and people in the area don’t get to see it,” Casey said. “People in the south see HBCUs all day. They see the effects of the Morehouses, Spelmans, Clarks, FAMUs, and North Carolina A&Ts.But we don’t get to see that in New York, … we don’t get this experience of an HBCU. And with this classic, a lot of students and a lot of people who may not have seen (this atmosphere) before will get to really, really enjoy it and see it.”

The after-party for the Classic will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the genre of music that shaped Casey’s career. He said applying the skills he learned from his business management and marketing degree and coupling that with his passion for music led him to a fulfilling and fruitful career.

“As an iconic figure in the New York hip-hop scene, DJ Envy is the perfect person to help us celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and cap a full day of HBCU football and culture with style,” said Albert Williams, the HBCU New York Classic CEO. 

Williams said the event will be the largest HBCU homecoming ever since all HBCU alums, future students, and football fans alike are invited and encouraged to come to the game and the events leading up to the Classic.

The events will begin on Tuesday, September 12, with a breakfast featuring New York City Mayor Eric Adams at Sylvia’s in Harlem. The week will host two high school education days in Newark, New Jersey, and Manhattan, NY.

The events will also include an HBCU-inspired debate at The Apollo, a career expo, a step show, and a pep rally before the main event of the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers against the Albany State University Golden Rams and the after-party.

Williams stressed the importance of these educational events and awareness of HBCU schools in the Northeast. He said he did not know about the existence of predominantly-Black institutions until after he graduated high school and attended St. John’s University for some years.

Williams and Casey hope to share the knowledge and power that HBCUs hold and encourage more young Black people to attend these universities.

“We did have a young man last year that decided he wasn’t going to college.. He spoke to our  lady that runs our career fair. And lo and behold, he applied to (approximately) six schools, four of them were HBCUs, and he decided to go to Morehouse,” Williams said. “If you reach one mission accomplished, we want to reach many.”

Williams said the organization expanded its events compared to last year due to increased funding and awareness of the Classic. He said the sponsorships from Google, Walmart, and other large companies show a valuable investment of time and money into Black communities.

In terms of the game’s outcome, Williams said he thinks the scoreline will be interesting, regardless of which team wins. Morehouse is coming in with a  lessthan-favorable record after their (1-9) overall record last season. The team was also held scoreless in the previous year’s inaugural game against Howard University, losing 31-0. Conversely, Albany State is coming off a 7-3 record last season and has dominated Morehouse over the past decade, winning 11 games straight since 2010 over Morehouse.

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Sometimes nothing beats a steaming cup of instant noodles. And though they’re typically enjoyed in the comfort of your home, that’s all changing with this new concept that has popped up in NYC.

Instant Noodle Factory in Long Island City is the first self-service, fast-casual instant noodle shop in NYC that offers the same comfort of instant noodles at home, while providing the dining out atmosphere.

It all started with founders Tat and Cierra connecting over instant noodles. After growing up in Hong Kong and then moving to the U.S., Tat couldn’t find some of his favorite flavors to share with Cierra.

As a result, he got them imported and when the pair started cooking and sampling, they began to wonder about building bowls with different combinations of proteins and toppings. Thus, Instant Noodle Factory was created.

As of now, Instant Noodle Factory offers a total of 88 noodles and 30 toppings to choose from in order to make your own perfect bowl. Constantly in search of new combinations, Tat and Cierra eat at least two noodles daily to continue their quest for delicious discovery.

Upon entering the space, you’ll take in their massive noodle wall that will inspire your bowl. Noodles from more than eight different countries are available on the menu, varying in flavor profiles from miso to soy, shio to cheese, tonkotsu to spicy and more. Customers will be able to choose from toppings such as but not limited to pulled duck leg, beef birria, kurobuta sausages, and silken tofu.

The idea is to “elevate the humble noodle into a gourmet masterpiece.” You’ll make your selections at the kiosk to then receive a tray of what you ordered. From there, you’ll take your noodles to the cooking machine that will eject hot water. It’s recommend to stir for three minutes.

After draining the noodles, you’ll add the proper seasonings and toppings you selected, and voila, your personal bowl is ready to eat! Overwhelmed by the amount of possible combinations? You can make it easy on yourself and choose from the pre-set bowls.

So next time you’re seeking the comfort of instant noodles but would prefer to eat out, be sure to stop by Instant Noodle Factory.

Where: 24-11 41st Avenue, Long Island City

When: Daily, 11:30am – 8pm

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Caricom governments, most of them in the smaller Eastern Caribbean subgrouping, are on edge following a decision by the UK government to reimpose visa requirements for citizens of Dominica amid concerns that its cash-for-passport scheme is letting in “undesirables.”

London announced the move in the past week, saying it comes into immediate effect except for passengers who would already have confirmed tickets for travel until mid-August. Thereafter, they will also have to find a British embassy, most likely in nearby Barbados, to apply for a visa as the UK is unhappy that Russians and other nationals  are obtaining Dominican passports and entering the UK as Dominican citizens.

Countries across the Caribbean from St. Kitts and Antigua in the north to Grenada in the south are nervous, fearing that they may be in the next phase of the plan by the UK to block what it calls an easy loophole for unqualified people to enter British ports.

Authorities in the subgrouping worry that the UK is punishing them because of their lucrative Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) which allows foreign nationals to apply for local passports and citizenship once they spend relatively small sums like $100,000, invest in local real estate, or start up a business employing locals. Those with active CIP schemes include St. Kitts, Antigua, Dominica, St. Lucia, and Grenada. St. Vincent has flatly refused to do so under current Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves who argues that “citizenship is not a commodity for sale.”

The UK and the European Union have been urging the CIP participating countries to abandon that scheme, saying it is a security risk as wealthy people with dubious backgrounds take advantage of visa-free travel to this part of the region to enter the UK.

 CIP counters by arguing that the hundreds of millions generated from these schemes have replaced the exports of banana and sugar to the UK and the EU, which have abandoned duty-free and other preferential benefits for former colonies in recent decades. The shortfall in state revenues have to be made up elsewhere. Free trade in the 15-nation Caribbean single trading system has also resulted in a loss of import duties as well as other policy decisions made by western nations over the years.

Suella Braverman, the British home secretary for immigration, said in a recent statement that the move to reimpose visa requirements for nationals of Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu has been taken solely for migration and border security reasons and is not a sign of poor relations with these countries.

Shaken up by the move, Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne warned his countrymen to brace for a possible negative impact in the coming months, being well aware of the opposition to the CIP scheme the west has maintained in recent years.

He told the Observer newspaper that “although the UK has said nothing about the other OECS countries, when your neighbor’s house catches fire, wet yours.”

Meanwhile, the acting British envoy to the Eastern Caribbean Charley Williams also weighed in.  “The UK and Dominica enjoy a close relationship and our governments work together on a range of international issues. Today’s announcement is a response to our long-standing concerns about Dominica’s citizenship by investment program and the risk it poses to the UK. The changes will bring Dominica in line with many other visa national countries around the world with which the UK has strong and friendly relations. They do not change our commitment to the relationship between our countries or to Dominica’s future. Visas provide access to the UK while helping to secure the UK border,” he said.

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Ever wanted to run away and join the circus? Or at least learn a few circus skills with just the swipe of a subway card and a short jaunt to Coney Island? Now’s your time! 

Coney Island’s Sideshow School at Sideshows by the Seashore is training adults this summer to safely execute death-defying stunts including swallowing swords, eating and breathing fire, hammering real nails into your face, snapping a mouse trap on your tongue, and walking on shards of broken glass.

Sound fun? Enrollment is now open for the ten-student circus school starting on Monday, July 31 and running through Thursday, August 3. Classes run from 10 am to 2pm and there’s an optional performance on August 4, if you want to show all your coworkers how you spent your PTO that week, impress a date or just, you know, get some TikTok content. Tuition is $1,500. 

“All of these skills are taught in a controlled environment in the safest way possible, at each student’s pace. We don’t force anyone to do anything,” says Adam Rinn, Coney Island USA’s Artistic Director and Dean of the Sideshow School. “Some of the students are deathly afraid to participate in some of the instruction, but eventually come around and give it a try. All in all, it’s about challenging yourself. If you arrive with an open mind and comfortable clothes, who knows what kind of miracles might happen.”

Founded in 2001, Coney Island USA’s Sideshow School began as an effort to preserve and pass on well-kept secrets of a lingering art form. Over the past 22 years, students from around the world have attended the school to learn stunts. 

New this year is the opportunity for students to join the cast of the Coney Island Circus Sideshow and present an act as part of the regular show on Friday, August 4.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to get up and perform on our legendary stage, a stage that many of the greatest contemporary sideshow performers have graced,” says Rinn. “After all these years, it’s still an honor for me to present my acts at Sideshows by the Seashore.”

* This article was originally published here