Inquiry Is Focusing On the Admissions Of Asian-Americans
By JOHN HECHINGER June 12, 2008; Page A3
Princeton University said the Education Department broadened its investigation of possible discrimination against Asian-American applicants.
In 2006, federal officials began investigating a claim from a student that Princeton rejected him because of his race and national origin. The student, 19-year-old Jian Li, initially enrolled at Yale University and is now at Harvard. Princeton says it didn't discriminate against Mr. Li.
Jim Bradshaw, an Education Department spokesman, said the agency closed its investigation of Mr. Li's complaint in January "after reviewing preliminary data and statistics from the university" and instead initiated a broader "compliance review" to determine whether Princeton discriminates against Asian-Americans. Mr. Bradshaw said the review "covers the original complaint" and "in no way implies" that the agency "has made a determination on the merits of the complaint."
Princeton said the inquiry would focus on the class of 2010, to which Mr. Li had applied. The university disclosed information about the new inquiry late Tuesday and said it welcomed the chance to explain its admissions process to officials.
The inquiry comes as many Asian-Americans families complain that the nation's elite universities set a higher bar for their children than for other students, effectively setting caps on the number of admissions granted to a high-achieving minority group.
The treatment of Asian-American applicants by top universities has a long and bitter history. In 1992, the law school at the University of California at Berkeley agreed under federal pressure to drop a policy that limited Asian enrollment by comparing Asian applicants against each other rather than the entire applicant pool. Two years earlier, a federal government investigation found inequities at Harvard but didn't bring charges.
Mr. Li called the expanded inquiry "great news for those opposed to the use of racial preferences in college admissions" and said he "had hoped from the start that the scope of the complaint would be much wider than my individual case."
Mr. Li, who immigrated to the U.S. from China as a 4-year-old, scored the maximum 2,400 on the SAT college admissions test, and registered a combined 2,390 -- 10 points below the maximum -- on three SAT2 subject tests, in physics, chemistry and calculus. He was spurned by three Ivy League universities, as well as Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Education Department's civil-rights office initially rejected Mr. Li's complaint, saying the evidence was insufficient. Mr. Li successfully appealed, citing a white classmate from his public high school in Livingston, N.J., who was admitted to Princeton despite lower test scores and grades. Mr. Li's complaint was covered in a 2006 page-one Wall Street Journal article.
Princeton said 17,564 students applied to the class of 2010 and 1,231 enrolled. The university said 14% of its freshmen were Asian-American that year and in the most recent one. The school said it admitted only half of applicants with maximum SAT scores. About 5% of the U.S. population is Asian-American.
"We treat each applicant individually," said Princeton spokeswoman Cass Cliatt. "We don't discriminate on the basis of race and to the contrary, we seek to enroll classes that are diverse by a wide variety of measures."
Write to John Hechinger at john.hechinger@wsj.com
On 14-Jun-2008, NewsToBeRead <NewsToBeRead@yahoo.com> wrote:
U.S. Widens Princeton Bias Probe
Inquiry Is Focusing On the Admissions Of Asian-Americans
By JOHN HECHINGER
June 12, 2008; Page A3
Princeton University said the Education Department broadened its
investigation of possible discrimination against Asian-American
applicants.
In 2006, federal officials began investigating a claim from a student
that Princeton rejected him because of his race and national origin.
The student, 19-year-old Jian Li, initially enrolled at Yale
University and is now at Harvard. Princeton says it didn't
discriminate against Mr. Li.
Jim Bradshaw, an Education Department spokesman, said the agency
closed its investigation of Mr. Li's complaint in January "after
reviewing preliminary data and statistics from the university" and
instead initiated a broader "compliance review" to determine whether
Princeton discriminates against Asian-Americans. Mr. Bradshaw said the
review "covers the original complaint" and "in no way implies" that
the agency "has made a determination on the merits of the complaint."
Princeton said the inquiry would focus on the class of 2010, to which
Mr. Li had applied. The university disclosed information about the new
inquiry late Tuesday and said it welcomed the chance to explain its
admissions process to officials.
The inquiry comes as many Asian-Americans families complain that the
nation's elite universities set a higher bar for their children than
for other students, effectively setting caps on the number of
admissions granted to a high-achieving minority group.
The treatment of Asian-American applicants by top universities has a
long and bitter history. In 1992, the law school at the University of
California at Berkeley agreed under federal pressure to drop a policy
that limited Asian enrollment by comparing Asian applicants against
each other rather than the entire applicant pool. Two years earlier, a
federal government investigation found inequities at Harvard but
didn't bring charges.
Mr. Li called the expanded inquiry "great news for those opposed to
the use of racial preferences in college admissions" and said he "had
hoped from the start that the scope of the complaint would be much
wider than my individual case."
Mr. Li, who immigrated to the U.S. from China as a 4-year-old, scored
the maximum 2,400 on the SAT college admissions test, and registered a
combined 2,390 -- 10 points below the maximum -- on three SAT2 subject
tests, in physics, chemistry and calculus. He was spurned by three Ivy
League universities, as well as Stanford University and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Education Department's civil-rights office initially rejected Mr.
Li's complaint, saying the evidence was insufficient. Mr. Li
successfully appealed, citing a white classmate from his public high
school in Livingston, N.J., who was admitted to Princeton despite
lower test scores and grades. Mr. Li's complaint was covered in a 2006
page-one Wall Street Journal article.
Princeton said 17,564 students applied to the class of 2010 and 1,231
enrolled. The university said 14% of its freshmen were Asian-American
that year and in the most recent one. The school said it admitted only
half of applicants with maximum SAT scores. About 5% of the U.S.
population is Asian-American.
"We treat each applicant individually," said Princeton spokeswoman
Cass Cliatt. "We don't discriminate on the basis of race and to the
contrary, we seek to enroll classes that are diverse by a wide variety
of measures."
Write to John Hechinger at john.hechinger@wsj.com
It is amazing how only whites are not allowed to have an all one race organization. There are all black colleges and that seems to be just fine with everyone. I do not see the problem with it. One should be allowed to operate his college in any manner he chooses.
<1 Proud American@usa.com> wrote in message news:EbS5k.42$5y2.33@fe113.usenetserver.com...
On 14-Jun-2008, NewsToBeRead <NewsToBeRead@yahoo.com> wrote:
U.S. Widens Princeton Bias Probe
Inquiry Is Focusing On the Admissions Of Asian-Americans
By JOHN HECHINGER
June 12, 2008; Page A3
Princeton University said the Education Department broadened its
investigation of possible discrimination against Asian-American
applicants.
In 2006, federal officials began investigating a claim from a student
that Princeton rejected him because of his race and national origin.
The student, 19-year-old Jian Li, initially enrolled at Yale
University and is now at Harvard. Princeton says it didn't
discriminate against Mr. Li.
Jim Bradshaw, an Education Department spokesman, said the agency
closed its investigation of Mr. Li's complaint in January "after
reviewing preliminary data and statistics from the university" and
instead initiated a broader "compliance review" to determine whether
Princeton discriminates against Asian-Americans. Mr. Bradshaw said the
review "covers the original complaint" and "in no way implies" that
the agency "has made a determination on the merits of the complaint."
Princeton said the inquiry would focus on the class of 2010, to which
Mr. Li had applied. The university disclosed information about the new
inquiry late Tuesday and said it welcomed the chance to explain its
admissions process to officials.
The inquiry comes as many Asian-Americans families complain that the
nation's elite universities set a higher bar for their children than
for other students, effectively setting caps on the number of
admissions granted to a high-achieving minority group.
The treatment of Asian-American applicants by top universities has a
long and bitter history. In 1992, the law school at the University of
California at Berkeley agreed under federal pressure to drop a policy
that limited Asian enrollment by comparing Asian applicants against
each other rather than the entire applicant pool. Two years earlier, a
federal government investigation found inequities at Harvard but
didn't bring charges.
Mr. Li called the expanded inquiry "great news for those opposed to
the use of racial preferences in college admissions" and said he "had
hoped from the start that the scope of the complaint would be much
wider than my individual case."
Mr. Li, who immigrated to the U.S. from China as a 4-year-old, scored
the maximum 2,400 on the SAT college admissions test, and registered a
combined 2,390 -- 10 points below the maximum -- on three SAT2 subject
tests, in physics, chemistry and calculus. He was spurned by three Ivy
League universities, as well as Stanford University and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Education Department's civil-rights office initially rejected Mr.
Li's complaint, saying the evidence was insufficient. Mr. Li
successfully appealed, citing a white classmate from his public high
school in Livingston, N.J., who was admitted to Princeton despite
lower test scores and grades. Mr. Li's complaint was covered in a 2006
page-one Wall Street Journal article.
Princeton said 17,564 students applied to the class of 2010 and 1,231
enrolled. The university said 14% of its freshmen were Asian-American
that year and in the most recent one. The school said it admitted only
half of applicants with maximum SAT scores. About 5% of the U.S.
population is Asian-American.
"We treat each applicant individually," said Princeton spokeswoman
Cass Cliatt. "We don't discriminate on the basis of race and to the
contrary, we seek to enroll classes that are diverse by a wide variety
of measures."
Write to John Hechinger at john.hechinger@wsj.com
It is amazing how only whites are not allowed to have an all one race
organization. There are all black colleges and that seems to be just fine
with everyone.
I do not see the problem with it. One should be allowed to operate his
college in any manner he chooses.
You must be to young to remember that Black schools come out of necessity due to segregation in the south and the north. Today I know of no traditional Black colleges that discriminate against white applicants and most have a diverse student population of many races. Besides it would be illegal Elrac
In article <EbS5k.42$5y2.33@fe113.usenetserver.com>, 1 Proud American@usa.com wrote:
"We treat each applicant individually," said Princeton spokeswoman
Cass Cliatt. "We don't discriminate on the basis of race and to the
contrary, we seek to enroll classes that are diverse by a wide variety
of measures."
That in itself is a contradictory statement. If Princeton seeks to "enroll classes that are diverse", individuals are being accepted or rejected on the basis of race rather than merit. That is discrimination on the basis of race. Regardless of which race suffers, discrimination is discrimination.
