The University of California (UC) system is accused of racial discrimination in its undergraduate admissions process in a complaint filed this week.
Students Against Racial Discrimination filed the case, alleging that UC is giving preference to Black and Latino candidates over Asian American and white students, even though the latter group has better academic credentials.
According to the plaintiffs, this racial favoritism is against federal and state statutes meant to promote educational equity.
California’s Proposition 209, a 1996 voter-approved state statute that forbids the use of race and related considerations in public education, employment, and contracting, is particularly mentioned in the complaint.
The goal of this statute was to provide all pupils, regardless of color, equal chances. But according to the plaintiffs, UC’s admissions policy discriminates against Asian American and white applicants who might have better academic qualifications by utilizing race as a criterion for admission.
The equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees that all citizens are treated equally under the law, is also allegedly being broken by the University of California schools, according to the complaint.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964’s Title VI, which forbids racial discrimination by organizations that receive federal funds, is also allegedly violated by UC.
The plaintiffs contend that UC’s admissions practices are illegal because the university receives a significant amount of federal support.
The complaint, in turn, asks for a court order to stop UC from inquiring about race on student applications.
Additionally, it requests that the court designate a monitor to supervise the university’s admissions decisions and make sure they comply with the law.
According to the plaintiffs, the university is forced to enroll students who are less academically capable than others based only on their race, which hurts students of all races.
Citing UC Berkeley as an example, the complaint alleges a pattern of discriminatory admissions practices.
While the university’s overall acceptance percentage was 21% in 2010, only 13% of Black in-state students were accepted.
Berkeley’s total admittance rate was 12% by 2023, but the percentage for Black candidates had decreased to 10%. The plaintiffs argue that the university’s employment of racial preferences in admissions is directly responsible for these changes.
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More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate affirmative action in college admissions, this complaint is noteworthy.
Universities across were forced to reconsider how they encourage diversity among their student bodies after the ruling ruled that race could not be a determining factor in admissions decisions.
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The complaint centers on the University of California’s alleged employment of racial preferences in violation of this rule, which may have significant ramifications for future admissions and diversity policies at campuses across the country.
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