The Justice Department filed suit against Yale University for race and national origin discrimination and once again, Asian Americans are being used as a front to dismantle affirmative action.
The lawsuit filed Thursday (Oct. 7) alleges that Yale discriminated against applicants to Yale College on the grounds of race and national origin, and that Yale’s discrimination imposes undue and unlawful penalties on racially-disfavored applicants, including in particular most Asian and White applicants.
The lawsuit follows a two-year DOJ investigation prompted by a 2016 complaint against Yale from the Asian American Coalition for Education and 132 other organizations, but the real driver behind the complaint is the Students for Fair Admissions headed by affirmative action foe Edward Blum.
“Illegal race discrimination by colleges and universities must end,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. “This nation’s highest ideals include the notion that we are all equal under the law. For centuries, people from all over the world have learned of this ideal, left their ancestral homes, and come to the United States hoping that this country would live up to its ideals and that they and their families could enjoy equal opportunity and pursue the American dream.
"All persons who apply for admission to colleges and universities should expect and know that they will be judged by their character, talents, and achievements and not the color of their skin. To do otherwise is to permit our institutions to foster stereotypes, bitterness, and division.”
In an email to the Yale community Thursday evening, University President Peter Salovey reiterated that Yale has communicated with the DOJ over the past few weeks, adding that the University has provided them with statistics showing that the allegations are false.
“I want to be clear: Yale does not discriminate against applicants of any race or ethnicity,” Salovey wrote. “Our admissions practices are completely fair and lawful. Yale’s admissions policies will not change as a result of the filing of this baseless lawsuit. We look forward to defending these policies in court.”
The Justice Department found Yale discriminates based on race and national origin in its undergraduate admissions process, and that race is the determinative factor in hundreds of admissions decisions each year. For the great majority of applicants, Asian Americans and Whites have only one-eighth to one-fourth of the likelihood of admission as African American applicants with comparable academic credentials. Yale rejects scores of Asian American and White applicants each year based on their race, whom it otherwise would admit.
The Yale case is similar to the suit filed against Harvard and it's admission policies. In that case, Asian American applicants were again used as supposed victims of an alleged biased admission policies. A lower court's decision in Harvard's favor is being appealed. The U.S. 1st District Court of Appeals heard arguments on Sept. 16 in which the three-panel judge aggressively questioned the plaintiff's lawyers. Both sides of the case believe that the Harvard suit will wind up in front of the conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
As in the Harvard case, the Asian students cited in the complaint are from families of new immigrants predominantly from China unfamiliar with the history of affirmative action and the generations of racism that prompted it.
“Yale believes that having a student body and a faculty from around the globe and around the country — including individuals with a wide range of ethnic and racial backgrounds, socioeconomic and family upbringings, gender orientations, talents and skills — enriches Yale’s community in immeasurable ways and prepares our students to lead and succeed in an increasingly diverse global workforce,” said Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, Jeremiah Quinlan.
Yale's first-year students for this fall is 45% White, 29% Asian, 14% Hispanic or Latino, 13% Black or African American, 2% American Indian or Alaska Native.
Clearly, Asian American students are not being discriminated against. What is really at danger are the slots taken by White students admitted through legacy status, ie. those who have a special skill or admitted because of a relationship with a wealthy donor alumni or celebrity.
Apparently the Trump and Bill Barr-led Justice Department that can't be bothered with biased police, hasn't acted against blatant voter suppression or speak and act against white supremacists, has prioritized trying to find a case against affirmative action an activist Supreme Court could rule against without revealing the case's racist intentions.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this is news sprinkled with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions.
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