Asian Am student withdraws complaint against Harvard
An Asian-American student withdrew federal complaints that Harvard University and Princeton University rejected him for their current freshman classes because of his race, according to the universities.
The U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights notified Harvard on Feb. 15 that it had closed the case because the complaint was withdrawn, Jeff Neal, a spokesman for the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university, said in an e-mail.
“We are pleased” with the outcome, Neal said. “Harvard College welcomes talented students from all backgrounds, including Asian-Americans.”
Complaints on the applicant’s behalf were filed in August 2011 against the universities. The student, whose family originally came from India, was among the top performers in his California high school class, according to his father, who declined to be identified. The student and his father didn’t respond to messages asking why the complaints were withdrawn.
The civil rights office had folded the complaint against Princeton, New Jersey-based Princeton into a compliance review begun in 2008 of whether that university discriminates against Asian-Americans.
The complaints fed the longstanding debate about whether elite universities hold Asian-Americans to a higher standard in college admissions. Asian-Americans made up 16 percent of Harvard undergraduates in the 2010-2011 academic year, down from 18 percent in 2005-2006, according to the university’s website. The proportion of Asian-Americans among Princeton undergraduates increased to 17.7 percent this year from 14.1 percent in 2007- 2008.
Glad to see that he finally came to his senses and took the higher road! 🙂
http://www.asiancemagazine.com/news/2012/02/06/feds-probe-alleged-admission-discrimination
Feb 19, 2012 @ 06:12 pm Marisa Sung said:
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is currently investigating a complaint received in August that the University’s undergraduate admission process discriminates against Asian Americans based on an Indian-American student who graduated at the top of his high school class in California and was rejected by both Princeton and Harvard University? Come again?? Sorry Bansi but graduating from the top of your high school class and having great SAT scores do not ENTITLE YOU TO ENTRY INTO THE SCHOOL OF YOUR CHOICE! YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED PERIOD. You were not rejected because of your ethnicity. There are so many other factors that are considered such as chararacter (or apparent lack of), extracurricular activities, interests, volunteer work, finances, etc. etc. etc. Maybe they just didn’t like you on the interview. Did you think of that?? Also, if you happen to attend a specialized high school for the gifted or a science and technology hs — guess what? You probably have less of a chance of getting accepted to certain Ivies because many of them like to only take one student at most high schools. That is the story when you are a student at an intensely competitive high school. Please drop these ludicrous law suits and go to a College where they actually want you. Academia is a big place-take the higher road rather than playing the blame game. That is not what inspires people and you are beating a dead horse. Someone like Vince Lombardi would go to the best college where he was welcomed and make Harvard and Princeton regret it that they weren’t smart enough to accept him and see that he was exceptional and a step above the rest by being a HUGE SUCCESS. THAT Is what inspires people and makes people great! As far as the stakes being higher for Asians, join the club. The smarter the ethnic group, the more intense the competition. That is called life and good luck trying to find a lawyer to fight that!
I really hope that this helps. 🙂