Posted on 10/17/2018 10:25:07 AM PDT by reaganaut1
BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University intentionally uses a vague “personal rating” to reject Asian-American applicants in favor of students from other racial backgrounds, according to lawyers on one side of a trial that began Monday and carries weighty implications for dozens of other U.S. colleges.
Harvard’s legal team denied any discrimination in its opening statement at Boston’s federal courthouse, saying race is just one factor that’s considered and can only help a student’s chances of getting admitted. In its hour-long opening, lawyers for Students for Fair Admissions accused Harvard of intentionally discriminating against Asian-Americans through a personal rating score that measures character traits such as “courage” and “likeability.”
The case drew dozens of spectators who packed into the courtroom and two overflow rooms Monday, some wearing blue shirts that read “Defend Diversity” in support of Harvard. A day earlier, backers from both sides hosted dueling rallies in the Boston area.
The trial began nearly four years after Harvard was sued by Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit based in Arlington, Virginia, that believes schools should not consider race when selecting students. Since then, Harvard and other elite colleges have faced mounting scrutiny over the way they factor race into admission decisions, a topic that has drawn renewed interest among federal authorities.
The suit says Asian-American applicants bring stronger academic records than any other race, yet they are admitted at the lowest rate. The group says that’s because Harvard consistently gives them lower scores on the personal rating, which, according to a document revealed by the group Monday, is only loosely defined in Harvard policies.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
This actually is a zero sum game. If they gain, I have to lose.
Apparently white people got no game or race.
The universities insist it is better for them and for the nation if they discriminate to foster greater racial ans sexual diversity.
I believe they and the nation are better off if the spaces available are filled based upon actual merit.
Harvard is not discriminating because of race. It discriminates against people with certain names.
Harvard is not discriminating because of race. It discriminates against people with certain names.
Yes, of course they do.
Yes. Yes they do.
Helping my competitor, hurts me.
Seems like everyone can win. Race only helps. No losers at Harvard...
I guess logic isn’t a strong point of academicians these days.
Trump needs to examine this.
<><> a 1996 piece in Fordham Law Review celebrated Pocahantas Warren as Harvard Law School’s “first woman of color.”
<><> Harvard’s 1999 Affirmative Action Plan Book appears to identify Sen Warren as N/A, not by name, but it could not possibly be anyone else.
The latter document is important b/c:
(A) Harvard is considered a federal contractor,
(B) its employment practices fall under the Dept of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).
(C) the compliance program “requires “ a contractor, to discover barriers to equal employment opportunity.
WIKI-—OFCCP administers and enforces three legal authorities that require equal employment opportunity:
<><> Executive Order 11246, as amended;
<><> Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and.
<><> the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, 38 U.S.C. 4212.
These authorities prohibit Federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and protected veteran status. They also require Federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to ensure equal employment opportunity in their employment processes. Its regulations can be found at CFR Title 41 Chapter 60: Public Contracts and Property Management.
Race can’t hurt, unless you are white or Asian American.
To state the truly obvious, if being of a certain race helps some applicants’ chances, it hurts applicants who are not of the favored races. Do they think we are idiots?
________________________________________________________
Oh they most certainly do. The only other option is that they actually believe what they are saying. That’s an even more frightening thought.
The judge will decide the case. No jury. Judge is Obama appointee. Harvard will win this round.
Only hope is this goes to SCOTUS and Harvard loses there. Kavanaugh can make a difference.
College bound Asians have been discriminated against by California Universities and Cal State Universities for decades going back to the 1960’s.
If there are X number of seats and Y applicants and X=Y-Z(who dont make the cut), then race WILL harm someone's chances all other things being equal.
Why is logic so hard for these idiotic college writers??
That’s like saying when trading stock, with a buyer and a seller, nobody loses, both win.
But there are losers at Harvard. The blacks and hispanics who are not well prepared would do better at a less competitive school. At Harvard they struggle and even though the professors grade them 'gently' many of them still flunk. Had they gone to a more appropriate school they might have excelled.
unless you’re Caucasian of course.
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