By Micaiah Bilger of The College Fix

3 in 4 parents of college-age students also oppose men in women’s spaces

A majority of parents with college-age students want universities to stop prioritizing race in hiring and scholarship decisions, a new poll from Defending Education found.

The results showed a majority of parents “are at odds with our country’s higher education institutions on several contentious issues that are consistently in today’s political dialogue,” according to a news release. Defending Education works to rid education of ideological agendas.

In the poll, which involved parents of 15- to 21-year-old students, 54 percent said universities should not prioritize a student’s race when awarding scholarships, and 57 percent said the same about hiring employees.

Racial preferences are still a problem at universities, College Fix investigations have found.

Recently, the University of Michigan-Flint revised a physical therapy training program to no longer exclude students on the basis of race, following a federal civil rights complaint and a College Fix inquiry.

The University of Rhode Island prioritizes hiring people “of color” in its strategic plan, according to another recent Fix report.

Meanwhile, the University of California Los Angeles medical school is facing a lawsuit alleging it discriminates against white and Asian students in its admissions process, The Fix reported earlier this week.

The Defending Education poll found strong concerns among parents about other issues as well, including men in women’s sports and antisemitism.

Three in four parents said men who identify as women should not be allowed to use women’s restrooms or compete in women’s sports.

Nearly 70 percent also said universities should discipline students who disrupt campus events because they disagree with them.

Other results from the poll include:

– 88 percent of parents support universities being required to disclose any money accepted from foreign governments.

– 67 percent of parents support universities offering or requiring more training for faculty and staff to properly address and identify antisemitism and Jewish discrimination on campus.

– 84 percent of parents feel that it is concerning universities are launching remedial math courses since high school graduates are not coming prepared for college level math courses.

Paul Runko, director of strategic initiatives at Defending Education, said in a news release that the results did not surprise him.

He said most parents and students believe college should be “academically rigorous, open to diverse viewpoints, and focused on preparing graduates for meaningful careers.”

“Colleges and universities should take note when families express concern about campus climates—calling for environments free from political extremism, ideological agendas, antisemitism, and campus disruptions,” Runko stated.