News / Society

Asian-Americans accuse Harvard of ‘systemic discrimination’ in admissions

Sunday, 17 May 2015 12:26 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 17 May 2015 12:27 AM ]

Austin Hall, Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Asian-American students have accused Harvard University of practicing a "systemic and continuous discrimination" against them during its admissions process.

A coalition of Asian-American 60 groups filed a federal complaint against the school on Friday, calling for an inquiry into Harvard and other Ivy League institutions that they say must stop using racial quotas or racial balancing in admission.

The complaint was filed with the civil rights offices at the justice and education departments.

"We want to eliminate discrimination of Asian-Americans, and we want procedural justice for all racial groups," Yukong Zhao, one of the chief organizers, told NBC News. "All racial groups should be treated equal."

Zhao told the American news network that the student coalition includes the Chinese-American Association of Orange County, which is based in California; the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, which is in New York; and the Pakistani Policy Institute, also in New York.

The university has rejected the claims and says its admissions process meets all legal requirements.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Harvard's general counsel, Robert Iuliano, said that the school uses "holistic admissions process" that is "fully compliant with federal law" to assemble a diverse class.

He claimed that over the past ten years the percentage of Asian American students admitted to Harvard College has jumped from 17.6 percent to 21 percent.

"We will vigorously defend the right of Harvard, and other universities, to continue to seek the educational benefits that come from a class that is diverse on multiple dimensions," Iuliano stated.

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