The recent lawsuit against Harvard University has been getting a lot of attention. If you haven’t heard the news, Harvard is being sued for its discriminatory admissions practices. While there has been the rumor floating around for decades that Ivy League schools unfairly admit or turn away students based on their race, there is now legal evidence to support this claim.
Discrimination Then and Now
In 2007 the rate of discrimination against Asian-Americans in Ivy League schools earned Asian-American students the moniker “New Jews.” This was a call back to the severe discrimination of Jewish students in the 1920s. It became known that most Ivies have, not just a double, but a triple standard for their applicants. The highest standards are reserved for Asian-American students, the middle for white American students and lowest standard for other minorities. These varying standards simply mean that Asian-Americans have to work twice or three times as hard as their peers of different races to be admitted into the same school.
In 2009 it was discovered that on average Asian-American students have to score 140 points higher than white students on the SATs to be considered by most Ivy League schools. Additionally, they have to score 270 points higher than Hispanic students and 450 points higher than black students on the same college admissions test.
Now, we are seeing more and more evidence that Ivy League schools, Harvard in particular is blatantly and unconstitutionally discriminating against Asian-American students. This illegal and heinous practice has been happening for years with little to no intervention. At the very least, it needs to be brought before the eyes of the government and the people. Finally, it has.
Students For Fair Admissions
In 2015 the group known as the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed a lawsuit against Harvard University. This lawsuit is still active and has had some recent developments in the past few months. There has been new evidence that Harvard actively discriminates against Asian-Americans. The SFFA’s court filing has a detailed analysis of Harvard’s admissions data from 2010 to 2015, witness testimonies and Harvard’s own internal investigation. Renowned economist, Professor Peter Arcidiacono, showed that an Asian-American student applying to Harvard with a 25% chance of admissions would actually have a 35% chance, with all the same grades, scores and extra curricular activities, if she were white. She would have a 75% chance if she were Hispanic and a whopping 95% chance if she were African-American.
Harvard uses “ethnic stats” and other tricks to manipulate its admissions so it can have a “racial balance.” This illegal practice of racial quotas has been covered by the politically correct term of “diversity.”
Harvard’s Defense
It should first be noted that Harvard’s own internal investigation reached the same conclusion. Harvard is biased against Asian-Americans. That being said, Rachel Dane, spokesperson for Harvard University told the New York Times ““Harvard College does not discriminate against applicants from any group in its admissions processes. We will continue to vigorously defend the right of Harvard, and other universities, to seek the educational benefits that come from a class that is diverse on multiple dimensions.”
Harvard also noted in the Supreme Court case that if they completely let go of their racial profiling admissions practices it would diminish the “excellence” of a Harvard education. In part they pride themselves on maintaining a diverse atmosphere and campus. If one year there were substantially more Asian-American students who were qualified than there where white students or Hispanics, they still have to keep their diversity level high. They would turn away the higher achieving Asian-American students in favor of students from other races, even if their achievements were not that notable.
The Truth of the Matter
What it comes down to is simple. Harsh, but simple. Unless the Supreme Court removes this practice, which in its simplest definition is organized racism, Asian-American students are going to academically disadvantaged. If you want your child in an Ivy League school they need to be incredibly above the curve. Being an exceptional student is not the same as being an exceptional Asian-American student, unfortunately. The reality is that you need to push your child beyond the status quo.
Genie Academy will make sure your child will stand out. Our hands-on approach and individualized attention creates an environment where kids grow and succeed. Students come to Genie Academy because they want to stand out. Parents come to Genie Academy because they want more than just for their child to get by in school, they want their child to get ahead and stay ahead. In the end they want to make sure their child will have their choice of any college and university in the country. There is no time to waste. Many students are already meeting the status quo. However, this is not enough for Asian-American students. They need to be well ahead of the standards. The time to get ahead is now.
Sourced through:
http://asianamericanforeducation.org/en/issue/discrimination-on-admissions/
http://asianamericanforeducation.org/pr_20180615/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/us/harvard-asian-admission.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/us/affirmative-action-battle-has-a-new-focus-asian-americans.html
