I’ve blogged about one of Princeton University professor Thomas Epenshade’s studies several times. His research showed that his university discriminates against students of Asian descent. For instance, a black student with 1150s and a white student with 1460s had the same chance of admission as an Asian student with 1600s, top scores. (Do I really need to explain why this is discriminatory?)
What you probably don’t know is the U.S. Department of Education may end up investigating the claim. Someone filed a complaint with the office. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that among the open cases in the agency’s Office for Civil Rights are bias allegations against Princeton, allegations that the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia give too much weight to applicants’ race, and challenges to minority programs at Pepperdine University, the University of Missouri, the University of Wisconsin system, and others.
We know how the Obama administration views race-based decision-making. Two white students filed suit against the University of Texas at Austin (Fisher v. University of Texas), alleging racial discrimination in admissions. After losing in district court, the plaintiffs appealed to the 5th Circuit. Regardless of the outcome, either party may appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court may refuse to hear the case or grant certiorari. The Obama administration submitted a brief in support of the side that wants to admit students based on skin color.
The irony is, UT’s actions are the kind the president’s Office for Civil Rights would investigate. The site reads:
“OCR enforces several Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive Federal funds from the Department of Education. These laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin, sex, disability, and on the basis of age.”
How can the administration support UT’s racial discrimination and uphold its duty to enforce federal civil rights laws?
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