Yale ordered to stop selecting students on the basis of race

YALE University illegally discriminated against white and Asian-american students, the US Justice Department said after its investigation found race to be the “determinative factor in hundreds of admissions decisions each year”.

The findings are the result of a two- year investigation in response to a complaint by Asian-american groups concerning Yale’s conduct.

The Justice Department said it had concluded that the Ivy League university gave too much weight to race in reviewing applications, in violation of federal civil rights law.

Eric Dreiband, the assistant attorney general for the civil rights division, claimed that Yale grants “substantial, and often determinative” preferences to certain “racially favoured applicants” and disfavours others. He also asserted that for “the great majority” of cases, Asian-american and white applicants have “only one-tenth to onefourth of the likelihood of admission as African-american applicants with comparable academic credentials.”

Federal data show that 40 per cent of Yale’s undergraduates are white, 20 per cent are of Asian descent, 14 per cent are Hispanic or Latino, 8 per cent are black and 7 per cent are multiracial. The other 10 per cent are from foreign countries.

“There is no such thing as a nice form of race discrimination,” Mr Dreiband said. “Unlawfully dividing Americans into racial and ethnic blocs fosters stereotypes, bitterness and division.”

The department ordered Yale to suspend the consideration of race or national origin in admissions for one year. It said it was prepared to file a lawsuit against Yale if the school, in New Haven, Connecticut, did not take “remedial measures”.

The latest finding could have farreaching consequences for the ongoing legal challenges to affirmative action, which are currently playing out in US courts.

Affirmative action programmes in higher education aim to address racial discrimination. The Supreme Court has ruled universities may use them with the aim of helping minority applicants get into college.

Yale pledged to fight the order, saying on Thursday that it would stay committed to its admissions process.

“The department’s allegation is baseless … Yale will not waver in its commitment to educating a student body whose diversity is a mark of its excellence,” said Peter Salovey, Yale’s president.