The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division says Black and Latinx students with similar academic qualifications are being admitted to Yale at higher rates than white and Asian American students, pointing to discrimination and a violation of the Civil Rights Act.
Lawyer David Hinojosa said the evidence leading to that conclusion is -- in his words -- “almost laughable.”
“It’s just astounding that it was based on an analysis that is bereft of details and the comprehensive analysis that such serious allegations demand.”
Hinojosa is the director of the Educational Opportunities project for the Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He said several schools have been accused of discriminatory admission practices, based mostly on standardized test scores and GPA.
“This is very similar to what the Students for Fair Admissions, organized by the extremist Ed Blum, targeting Black and Latinx applicants to colleges at Harvard, UNC Chapel Hill and UT Austin,” he said.
Universities use many other metrics to determine acceptance, according to Hinojosa.
The DOJ has issued an administrative complaint against Yale, but if the university does not change its admissions process, Hinojosa said Yale may face a federal lawsuit.
Last year a federal judge ruled that Harvard’s admissions policies do not illegally discriminate.
