U.S. Justice Department says Yale illegally discriminates against
Asians, whites
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[August 14, 2020]
By Jan Wolfe and Eric Beech
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice
Department on Thursday accused Yale University of illegally
discriminating against Asian American and white applicants in its
undergraduate admissions process in violation of U.S. civil rights law.
The findings are the result of a two-year investigation in response to a
complaint by Asian-American groups concerning Yale's conduct, the
department said in a statement.
The department said it was prepared to file a lawsuit against Yale if
the school, in New Haven, Connecticut, did not take "remedial measures."
A Yale spokeswoman said the university "categorically denies" the
allegations but has cooperated fully with the investigation.
The Justice Department made its findings before allowing Yale to provide
requested documents, Yale said.
"Had the Department fully received and fairly weighed this information,
it would have concluded that Yale’s practices absolutely comply with
decades of Supreme Court precedent," the spokeswoman said.
The Justice Department said that although race can lawfully be
considered in college admissions in limited circumstances, "Yale’s use
of race is anything but limited."
The elite school "uses race at multiple steps of its admissions process
resulting in a multiplied effect of race on an applicant’s likelihood of
admission," the Justice Department said.
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Students walk on the campus of Yale University in New Haven,
Connecticut, October 7, 2009. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
The Justice Department has previously filed legal briefs in support
of a lawsuit, brought by affirmative action opponents, accusing
Harvard University of discriminating against Asian Americans.
A federal judge in Boston ruled in favor of Harvard last year,
saying the school's affirmative action program advanced a legitimate
interest in having a diverse student body.
An appeal of that ruling is pending. The case could eventually reach
the Supreme Court.
Affirmative action programs in higher education were meant to
address racial discrimination. The Supreme Court has ruled
universities may use affirmative action with the aim of helping
minority applicants get into college.
U.S. conservatives have said that in helping Black and Latino
applicants, affirmative action can hurt white people and Asian
Americans.
(Reporting by Eric Beech, Jan Wolfe and Nate Raymond; Editing by Tom
Brown and Alistair Bell)
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