Harvard reacts to Supreme Court affirmative action ruling: Diversity is 'essential to academic excel

[mystery-ak]

June 29, 2023 12:28pm EDT
Harvard reacts to Supreme Court affirmative action ruling: Diversity is 'essential to academic excellence'
Harvard's leadership highlighted another path to accounting for race in admissions, in wake of Supreme Court ruling

By Anders Hagstrom FOXBusiness

Harvard University responded to the Supreme Court's ruling that the university's admissions system was unconstitutional on Thursday, announcing in a statement that it will "certainly" comply with the decision.

Harvard's leadership declared in the statement that "diversity and difference are essential to academic excellence," and vowed to "preserve" the university's essential values. The statement also highlighted a potential route by which Harvard could continue to account for race in admissions in some form.

"The Court held that Harvard College’s admissions system does not comply with the principles of the equal protection clause embodied in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act," the statement read. "The Court also ruled that colleges and universities may consider in admissions decisions 'an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.' We will certainly comply with the Court’s decision."

"We write today to reaffirm the fundamental principle that deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences," the statement continued. "That principle is as true and important today as it was yesterday. So too are the abiding values that have enabled us — and every great educational institution — to pursue the high calling of educating creative thinkers and bold leaders, of deepening human knowledge, and of promoting progress, justice and human flourishing."

more
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/harvard-reacts-supreme-court-affirmative-action-ruling-diversity-is-essential-to-academic-excellence

[cato potatoe]

These people really don't want to rub elbows with asians, do they? 

[Kamaji]

Total bullshit.  The statistics that were cited in Thomas' concurrence clearly demonstrate that a racially motivated level of "diversity" does not have a clear causal connection to academic excellence.

In fact, he cited to the records of the so-called historically black universities - which are clearly not racially balanced - as demonstrating that excellence has nothing to do with racial diversity.

And that's even without getting into the question of how much racial diversity these schools are actually looking at.  As Thomas pointed out, they only allow for one racial category for "Asian", which therefore subsumes Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Laotians, Vietnamese, not to mention any of the ethnic minorities within those countries, all within a single "race" - what sort of level of perversity requires one to conclude that someone from a Chinese family background and someone from a Japanese family background - particularly given what happened just before and during WWII - are sufficiently similar to each other that they have the same thoughts and outlook on life, such that they should be lumped together in a single "race" category.

[Bigun]

Total bullshit.  The statistics that were cited in Thomas' concurrence clearly demonstrate that a racially motivated level of "diversity" does not have a clear causal connection to academic excellence.

In fact, he cited to the records of the so-called historically black universities - which are clearly not racially balanced - as demonstrating that excellence has nothing to do with racial diversity.

And that's even without getting into the question of how much racial diversity these schools are actually looking at.  As Thomas pointed out, they only allow for one racial category for "Asian", which therefore subsumes Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Laotians, Vietnamese, not to mention any of the ethnic minorities within those countries, all within a single "race" - what sort of level of perversity requires one to conclude that someone from a Chinese family background and someone from a Japanese family background - particularly given what happened just before and during WWII - are sufficiently similar to each other that they have the same thoughts and outlook on life, such that they should be lumped together in a single "race" category.

Clarence Thomas has always had his head screwed on perfectly straight. And the left hates him for it.

[Free Vulcan]

It's as if Harvard and other elite universities want to get sued.

[Bigun]

If you want to stop discrimination on the basis of race stop discriminating on the basis of race.

[Smokin Joe]

Total bullshit.  The statistics that were cited in Thomas' concurrence clearly demonstrate that a racially motivated level of "diversity" does not have a clear causal connection to academic excellence.

In fact, he cited to the records of the so-called historically black universities - which are clearly not racially balanced - as demonstrating that excellence has nothing to do with racial diversity.

And that's even without getting into the question of how much racial diversity these schools are actually looking at.  As Thomas pointed out, they only allow for one racial category for "Asian", which therefore subsumes Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Laotians, Vietnamese, not to mention any of the ethnic minorities within those countries, all within a single "race" - what sort of level of perversity requires one to conclude that someone from a Chinese family background and someone from a Japanese family background - particularly given what happened just before and during WWII - are sufficiently similar to each other that they have the same thoughts and outlook on life, such that they should be lumped together in a single "race" category.

Lumping Asians?

What about lumping Irish, Icelanders, Germans, Croats, Poles, Russians, Spaniards, Greeks, French, Flemish, Scots, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Norwegians, Swedes, Hungarians, Finlanders, Greeks, English, Italians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Canadians, etc., all under "White"?

[Bigun]

Lumping Asians?

What about lumping Irish, Icelanders, Germans, Croats, Poles, Russians, Spaniards, Greeks, French, Flemish, Scots, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Norwegians, Swedes, Hungarians, Finlanders, Greeks, English, Italians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Canadians, etc., all under "White"?

 

[Kamaji]

Lumping Asians?

What about lumping Irish, Icelanders, Germans, Croats, Poles, Russians, Spaniards, Greeks, French, Flemish, Scots, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Norwegians, Swedes, Hungarians, Finlanders, Greeks, English, Italians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Canadians, etc., all under "White"?

I picked asians because that was the category of people that Justice Thomas mentioned.  But obviously, it can go for any heterogeneous group of people who are all put under one simplified category, like "Asian" or "White".

[mountaineer]

Apparently, the Harvard administration is clueless and do not realize what a joke this formerly esteemed institution has become. I'd send a kid to a small state college before I'd waste his time with Harvard.

[Bigun]

Apparently, the Harvard administration is clueless and do not realize what a joke this formerly esteemed institution has become. I'd send a kid to a small state college before I'd waste his time with Harvard.

Why anyone would want to subject themselves to the indoctrination is beyond me, but now they can try to do that without being discriminated against because of race.

[The_Reader_David]

Diversity is 'essential to academic excellence'.   

Really? In that case explain the standings of ETH Zurich (#20) and the University of Tokyo (#24) in the world rankings of universities.

[mountaineer]

Scratch a Democrat, reveal a bigot.

[mystery-ak]

Within Hours Of The SCOTUS Ruling, Harvard Finds Loophole To Continue Being Racist
Reagan Reese
4–5 minutes

Harvard University suggested in a statement Thursday that it will use essays to continue to weigh students’ race following a ruling by the Supreme Court that struck down affirmative action.

The Supreme Court ruled that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina’s use of race-based affirmative action admissions policies were unconstitutional. Following the ruling, Harvard University said it will use applicants’ essays detailing how race has affected their lives in an effort to “comply with the Court’s decision,” according to a university statement.

“Today, the Supreme Court delivered its decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College,” the press release stated. “The Court held that Harvard College’s admissions system does not comply with the principles of the equal protection clause embodied in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The Court also ruled that colleges and universities may consider in admissions decisions ‘an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.’ We will certainly comply with the Court’s decision.”

more
https://dailycaller.com/2023/06/29/harvard-circumvent-supreme-courts-affirmative-action/

[sneakypete]

It's as if Harvard and other elite universities want to get sued.

@Free Vulcan

Well,they ARE located in the North  East,so their contributions would go through the roof if they were sued.

[sneakypete]

Apparently, the Harvard administration is clueless and do not realize what a joke this formerly esteemed institution has become. I'd send a kid to a small state college before I'd waste his time with Harvard.

@mountaineer

And it would be 1,000 times harder for him to get a job offer from one of the big Wall Street firms.

[GtHawk]

Lumping Asians?

What about lumping Irish, Icelanders, Germans, Croats, Poles, Russians, Spaniards, Greeks, French, Flemish, Scots, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Norwegians, Swedes, Hungarians, Finlanders, Greeks, English, Italians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Canadians, etc., all under "White"?

@Smokin Joe You got a thing for Hungarians? It's OK with me I'm an American but first generation of Hungarian parents but really just a plain old American which is what my parents considered themselves after gaining their citizenship.