Does Quaqua utilize “legacy” preferences or “feeder” recommendations?
A. No. Quaqua is determined to select award recipients based upon personal merit, as accomplished by a bona fide comparison of objective characteristics. “Legacy” preferences are policies which award special favors in ostensibly selective processes to relatives of individuals who are alumni, wealthy donors, politically prominent figures, or other individuals with exclusive ties to the institution. The preferences are, essentially, the exploitation of a conflict-of-interest for private special interests. Many elite colleges, for example, use these preferences to favor marginally-qualified children of wealthy families over middle-class children who are more objectively deserving of admission. A “feeder” recommendation is an institutional practice which grants additional or exclusive weight to a recommendation from a prominent individual or a particular network of people. Many Supreme Court justices, for example, give serious consideration only to those applicants who have recommendations
