Claims Of Racial Discrimination Made On Ivy League Schools
An American of Indian descent has claimed racial profiling upon the most prestigious learning institutions in the country. The case is now under administrative review.
|
|
Claims Of Racial Discrimination Made On Ivy League Schools
Bobby Castro is the online editor at the NRI community, where he has published a number of articles about NRI Indians living in America and many other topics.
Allegations of racial discrimination have been leveled against two prestigious Ivy League universities, namely Harvard and Princeton. The claim is being made by a student of Indian origin and this was prevalent in the admissions policy of the two schools.
The allegations have been forwarded to US authorities and an investigation is now underway. The Indian American was near the top of the list in his California high school class. He has remained anonymous, as his family was Indian immigrants to the country.
Based on the complaint, the United States Department of Education is investigating if the two universities were undertaking discriminatory policies against Asian Americans in its undergraduate admissions process. The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education received the complaint last August alleging that the Asian-American candidate was rejected to admission to Harvard because of racial reasons. A similar complaint was filed in August 2011 against Princeton because of the current process of handling Asian-American candidates.
These new complaints are among the long list of cases that have reached the courts. Last September, a case was elevated to the US Supreme Court on the issue of preferences being made for blacks and Hispanics in college admissions discriminate on other races such as Asian Americans. This is one of the major debates prevalent today, owing to the increasing numbers as well as affluence of Asian Americans in the US society.
For its part, Harvard issued a statement saying that it “does not discriminate against Asian-American applicants.” It did refuse to comment on the specifics of the complaints filed against the university currently under federal review.
Currently, sixteen percent of Harvard undergraduates for the 2010-2011 academic year are Asian Americans, down from eighteen percent in 2005 to 2006.
According to the school’s spokesperson, “Our review of every applicant’s file is highly individualized and holistic, as we give serious consideration to all of the information we receive and all of the ways in which the candidate might contribute to our vibrant educational environment and community.”
For its part, the OCR, in its letter to Harvard, assured the prestigious institution that the investigation is “in no way implies that OCR has made a determination with regards to its merits. During the investigation, OCR is a neutral fact-finder.”
The OCR does not release the names of the complainants. Princeton for its part is fully aware of the 2011 complaint and would cooperate with the investigation, according to its spokesperson Martin Mbugua. He further added that the university does not discriminate on the basis of race or national origin, saying “We make admissions decisions on a case by case basis in our efforts to build a well-rounded, diverse class.”
Looking For More Information?
Make sure to explore other articles in the Air Travel category or contact us to suggest a website or a service to review.
|
|
