The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice notified Yale today that it is violating Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Asian and white Americans in undergraduate admissions.
The Department of Justice 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-tenth to one-fourth of the likelihood of admission as African American applicants with comparable academic credentials.
Although the Supreme Court has held that colleges receiving federal funds may consider applicants’ race in certain limited circumstances as one of a number of factors, the Department of Justice found Yale’s use of race is anything but limited. Yale uses race at multiple steps of its admissions process resulting in a multiplied effect of race on an applicant’s likelihood of admission, and Yale racially balances its classes.
Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband wrote, “Unlawfully dividing Americans into racial and ethnic blocs fosters stereotypes, bitterness, and division. It is past time for American institutions to recognize that all people should be treated with decency and respect and without unlawful regard to the color of their skin.”
We’ve been through this once with the lawsuit against Harvard
the judge admits that Harvard made no attempt to deny that Asian students received lower “personal” scores that offset their higher academic scores but then concluded Harvard wasn’t discriminating because Harvard’s witnesses said they weren’t:
Harvard’s witnesses credibly testified that they did not use race in assigning personal ratings (or any of the profile ratings) and did not observe any improper discrimination in the admissions process
In short, we have to take these fine people at their word. I guess we’ll see if Yale fares any better. Then again, this is all probably dependent on who wins the 2020 election
August 13, 2020, 06:45 PM
Scoutmaster
Maybe a related matter.
Years ago there was an article in the WSJ re a public high school in Silicon Valley in a somewhat upper crust community. Somehow the "white" students within that school's boundaries had an unusually high rate of going to private schools.
Turns out, the Asian students were too studious, worked too hard, raised the academic standards too high. White parents were putting their kids in private school to make it easier on them because they couldn't (or wouldn't) keep up.
"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it....While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it" - Judge Learned Hand, May 1944
August 13, 2020, 07:19 PM
RVF400
Sex and Race should not be on College Applications or Job Applications.
August 13, 2020, 08:14 PM
ZSMICHAEL
^^^^^^^^^^^^ Surnames are a big clue, and in some cultures the first name. If they assigned numbers before the file went to the Admissions committee it might help. For the more prestigious schools legacy counts more than anything.
August 13, 2020, 08:21 PM
FishOn
There are plenty of B grade students at Ivy League colleges, coming from large donor families.
August 13, 2020, 08:28 PM
mrvmax
Now I know how Shejack (congress woman Shiela Jackson Lee) got into Yale.
August 13, 2020, 08:49 PM
Scoutmaster
quote:
Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL: ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Surnames are a big clue, and in some cultures the first name. If they assigned numbers before the file went to the Admissions committee it might help. For the more prestigious schools legacy counts more than anything.
I might suggest money is the priority motivator.
"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it....While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it" - Judge Learned Hand, May 1944
August 13, 2020, 08:51 PM
darthfuster
Affirmative action Is racial discrimination.
You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier
August 13, 2020, 09:17 PM
ZSMICHAEL
quote:
I might suggest money is the priority motivator.
^^^^^^ Not always. Maybe with the Ivy League. Legacy is a big deal with some schools, not to mention athletic prowess. Schools have to be much more careful about donations thanks to Rick Singer.
August 13, 2020, 09:53 PM
Scoutmaster
quote:
Originally posted by darthfuster: Affirmative action Is racial discrimination.
Racial discrimination is a one-way street.
"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it....While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it" - Judge Learned Hand, May 1944
August 13, 2020, 10:20 PM
Edmond
quote:
Originally posted by darthfuster: Affirmative action Is racial discrimination.
Yep. I took an employee relations class last semester and the professor said, "there's no such thing as reverse discrimination, it's discrimination."
A lot of it is seen in the Army, at least with the Army Reserves when you see who they promote. Seems to be a disproportionate amount of black females promoted to field grade ranks.
_____________
August 13, 2020, 10:56 PM
Scoutmaster
quote:
Originally posted by Edmond:
quote:
Originally posted by darthfuster: Affirmative action Is racial discrimination.
Yep. I took an employee relations class last semester and the professor said, "there's no such thing as reverse discrimination, it's discrimination."
A lot of it is seen in the Army, at least with the Army Reserves when you see who they promote. Seems to be a disproportionate amount of black females promoted to field grade ranks.
I hit Basic Training in Dec 1970. Our Sr Drill Sgt told us directly "There are all sorts of colors and races out there. But I see only green uniforms of people here for the same purpose." The message was clear, there will be no racism in any direction.
I once interviewed for a full time college teaching position in CA, got to the last interview with the VP Academics, the Dean, the Dept Head, and, the Head of "Diversity".
One of the first questions from Diversity "how do you promote diversity in the classroom?" I told them the story from my Basic Training. Then I told them I consider each persons needs and skills, provide individual attention as needed. But I focus on what brings us together, what we have in common, which is to learn the principles of Accounting and how to apply them.
Wrong answer.
Later a student, accustomed to preferential treatment, complained that he didn't get the grade he deserved (ie, he didn't get preferential treatment). The Dean told me (off the record) to give him extra credit to improve his score.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Scoutmaster,
"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it....While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it" - Judge Learned Hand, May 1944
August 14, 2020, 10:51 AM
joel9507
/sarc on What a surprise! /sarc off
Yes, they (and many other good universities) get eleventy-zillion applications for a small number of spaces, but, in this day of 'big data', there has to be some reasonable set of attributes to decide on, rather than what applicants look like or where their ancestors came from. You can't tell me Yale couldn't figure this out.
University politics being what they are, to avoid angst amongst the politically correct infesting those places, I imagine college administrations will need the optics of 'we're just complying with Federal mandates' to keep their jobs while making these changes, but they are long overdue.
August 14, 2020, 12:08 PM
Edmond
quote:
Originally posted by Scoutmaster: I hit Basic Training in Dec 1970. Our Sr Drill Sgt told us directly "There are all sorts of colors and races out there. But I see only green uniforms of people here for the same purpose." The message was clear, there will be no racism in any direction.
It's a very different Army these days. It's not called discrimination these days, it's called diversity.
_____________
August 14, 2020, 01:50 PM
Scoutmaster
quote:
Originally posted by Edmond:
quote:
Originally posted by Scoutmaster: I hit Basic Training in Dec 1970. Our Sr Drill Sgt told us directly "There are all sorts of colors and races out there. But I see only green uniforms of people here for the same purpose." The message was clear, there will be no racism in any direction.
It's a very different Army these days. It's not called discrimination these days, it's called diversity.
I have commented before, in much of public ed in CA (very much so on the college level) the mantra is "social justice - equality - diversity"; which equates to demeaning American Founders and founding principles; and promoting foreign values/cultures as equal to or superior to America. (America's founders were predominantly white Christian males.)
In district faculty training, we were told that white males are guilty of microaggression (racism and sexism) even if they don't know it or don't intend it.
"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it....While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it" - Judge Learned Hand, May 1944
August 14, 2020, 07:21 PM
sjtill
Please, dear God, let Trump have another term.
_________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
August 14, 2020, 07:48 PM
chellim1
So, institutional racism actually exists?
"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." -- Justice Janice Rogers Brown
"The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth." -rduckwor
August 14, 2020, 08:50 PM
OKCGene
I'd soooo much like to see those in charge of admission at Yale go to Jail.
August 14, 2020, 10:36 PM
Lefty Sig
As you may have noticed, I have a lot of interaction and contact with Asian culture.
It is amazing how much Asians are discriminated against in academia because of their superior academic performance. To keep them out of Harvard, the admissions people downgrade them based on subjective "personality issues", even by people that didn't actually meet them.
When I was in college at a Big 10 university, personality didn't matter. Performance on tests, homework, papers, and projects made the difference. The professor might not have even known who you were other than a name on a paper or test. But somehow, that is a factor in the Ivy League.
If admissions based on purely academic qualifications result in a majority Asian student population, so be it. Everyone else can try harder to qualify, including white "legacy" kids.
But I am perfectly willing to let Harvard and Yale dilute their "brands" into insignificance as learning institutions. They have far too much influence on this country than they deserve. And we already know about the rampant grade inflation they use to make sure everyone graduates with honors, because anyone who is admitted is "superior" to grads from every other university.
Lawyer friend of mine at a big corporate law firm told me he would take a big state school law school grad any day over Ivy League. Ivy Leaguers are all theory with absolutely no practical training in the actual business of being an attorney.