REACHING FOR RIGHTS
As seniors choose which colleges to apply to, some are aiming their sights on the academic supergiant of the American college circuit: Harvard University. Despite Harvard’s championing of diversity, the school is now embroiled in a lawsuit brought on by Asian-American applicants who were denied from Harvard. The current lawsuit alleges that Harvard systematically ranked Asian-American applicants lower on personality traits including courage, respect, kindness and overall likability as reported by the New York Times. There is only one probable reason for labelling Asian Americans in such a derogatory manner: to minimize the Asian-American population in the student body. Seeing as though Harvard’s actions are clearly intentional, people must pressure Harvard to radically change their admissions practices as a means to eliminate the institutional racism that many scholars from Harvard disavow.
“Artificial quotas should never be applied during the application process,” junior Jiaju Liu said. “However, I expect that Harvard is not alone regarding these quotas.”
Although this situation seems out of character for modern Harvard principles seeing as though they proudly display their diversity efforts through their “Commitment to Diversity” programs, Harvard has a history of stamping down the admission rates of certain groups to achieve their ‘diverse’ demographics. According to Business Insider, a situation analogous to the current scandal existed between the 1920s and 1930s when Harvard was found to be using various tactics to suppress Jewish admission below 15 percent representation on campus. For the current lawsuit, the plaintiff claims that Harvard’s practices were similarly meant to repress Asian representation below 20 percent. According to the Supreme Court’s 2009 case Ricci v. DeStefano, it was found that an institution is not allowed to establish a discriminatory quota regarding the admission of applicants of certain racial profiles. Harvard’s defense seizes upon a loophole in the legal system that stands upon the notion that they are not aiming to achieve a quota of admission, but they are trying to suppress admission below a certain quota. However, simply because the law does not specifically prohibit Harvard’s practices, their measures to prevent the acceptance of Asian Americans into Harvard is unethical and undeniably racist.
“Whether or not Harvard’s practices are intentional, their practices are undoubtedly wrong,” Advanced Placement Calculus teacher Christian Kim said. “Considering the information from the New York Times, I think that Asian Americans are correct in thinking that Harvard is perpetuating racial discrimination in academica long thought to have been cast out.”
Even though Harvard’s seemingly racist actions are irresponsible and despicable, this is not a particular shock to anyone who has been following the modern college circuit. Although affirmative action has given many minorities opportunities to access high-level education, those strides have come at the cost of the Asian-American community, perpetuating decades-long systematic discrimination against Asian-American students. As a society, institutions should strive for equality of opportunity and should allow people to use their own skills to earn their place in society, regardless of race, creed or color. Endeavors in favor of equality of outcome have always boosted the social standing of groups at the heavy expense of others. Harvard and any other school that practices discrimination must realize that their quest for social justice is reviving institutional racism, the very thing these places proclaim to execrate.
“I am quite put off by Harvard’s alleged derogatory practices,” senior Kevin Lin said. “I am extremely skeptical of Harvard’s practices against Asian Americans, but I hope that Harvard faces enough pressure to abolish these practices.”
