https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/us/harvard-asian-admission.html
"Asian-Americans Suing Harvard Say Admissions Files Show Discrimination"
The article "Asian-Americans Suing Harvard Say Admissions Files Show Discrimination" by Anemona Hartocollis discusses accusations that Harvard has turned down Asian-Americans in favor of other races due to the Asians' achievements as a race. They claim that Harvard's admission process makes use of an illegal quota system. This relates to the constitutional case University of California v. Bakke, which we learned about in class. It was a landmark ruling allowing affirmative action, which is when schools use quota-like systems to ensure certain numbers of minority students. The plaintiff requests that the evidence be revealed to the public because it concerns the public and is very revealing. Harvard argues that this would not be wise because they have to protect the privacy of their applicants and themselves. They say that it would cause applicants to try to play the system. The plaintiff says that the papers are not important enough to be hidden from the public. They cited the landmark Gratz v. Bollinger case, which ruled that the University of Michigan's scoring system for undergraduate admissions, awarding 20 of 150 points to members of underrepresented minorities, was unconstitutional. They said that this ruling could not have been made without public knowledge of the facts. The plaintiff also says there is no need for a trial, because the judge can decide the case based on the evidence alone. I believe that affirmative action is necessary to make up for the advantages that have been given to whites for the past 300 years and beyond. To say that it is making it harder for whites just because of their race is not entirely accurate because the past three centuries have been spent making it easier for whites. However, these students are not white and not as privileged, so it is more difficult. I still believe that Universities should be allowed to ensure representation for certain minorities because, if those applicants are not performing as well, it is likely the result of years of discrimination in the past. However, I cannot make judgement on this case because I have not read any of the evidence and my knowledge of the facts is not enough to make a proper judgement.
"Asian-Americans Suing Harvard Say Admissions Files Show Discrimination"
The article "Asian-Americans Suing Harvard Say Admissions Files Show Discrimination" by Anemona Hartocollis discusses accusations that Harvard has turned down Asian-Americans in favor of other races due to the Asians' achievements as a race. They claim that Harvard's admission process makes use of an illegal quota system. This relates to the constitutional case University of California v. Bakke, which we learned about in class. It was a landmark ruling allowing affirmative action, which is when schools use quota-like systems to ensure certain numbers of minority students. The plaintiff requests that the evidence be revealed to the public because it concerns the public and is very revealing. Harvard argues that this would not be wise because they have to protect the privacy of their applicants and themselves. They say that it would cause applicants to try to play the system. The plaintiff says that the papers are not important enough to be hidden from the public. They cited the landmark Gratz v. Bollinger case, which ruled that the University of Michigan's scoring system for undergraduate admissions, awarding 20 of 150 points to members of underrepresented minorities, was unconstitutional. They said that this ruling could not have been made without public knowledge of the facts. The plaintiff also says there is no need for a trial, because the judge can decide the case based on the evidence alone. I believe that affirmative action is necessary to make up for the advantages that have been given to whites for the past 300 years and beyond. To say that it is making it harder for whites just because of their race is not entirely accurate because the past three centuries have been spent making it easier for whites. However, these students are not white and not as privileged, so it is more difficult. I still believe that Universities should be allowed to ensure representation for certain minorities because, if those applicants are not performing as well, it is likely the result of years of discrimination in the past. However, I cannot make judgement on this case because I have not read any of the evidence and my knowledge of the facts is not enough to make a proper judgement.
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