Non-Affirmative Action on Asian-American Students

By: Joe Mauricio

 

There is a big debate about elite education going on right now within social science. Bias against Asian Americans is real. Affirmative action is not the problem.

We can fight stereotypes about Asian personalities while rejecting the Idea that test scores are the only kind of merit. The affirmative action debate is shifting again, with new faces and with old arguments. The claim? Affirmative action college admission hurts Asian Americans, especially at elite universities like Harvard.

Like many colleges and universities, Harvard considers race and a number of non-quantitative factors to get more holistic review of admission applications. New York Times recently reported that, according to one analysis of admission files, Harvard consistently rated Asian American applicants lower than others on traits like positive personality, likability, courage, kindness, and being widely respected.

Some have interpreted these findings as ironclad proof that affirmative action harms Asian American students. The story is not as simple as some commentators suggest. In short, if admission officers exhibited unconscious or conscious dislike for Asians, it is more or less RACISM, not AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.

Asian Americans scored higher than applicants of other racial or ethnic groups on admission measures like test scores, grades, and extra-curricular activities. But the students’ personal ratings drag down their chances of being admitted.

Court documents filed in federal court in Boston showed that Harvard found bias against Asian American students. But Harvard never made their findings public or acted on them.

The documents came out as part of a lawsuit charging Harvard with systematically discriminating against Asians and/or Asian Americans, in violation of civil rights law. The suit says that Harvard imposes what is in effect a soft quota of “racial balancing.”

This keeps the number of Asians artificially low, while advancing less qualified white, blacks and Hispanics.

The findings come at a time when issues of race, ethnicity, admission, testing and equal access to education are confronting schools across the country, from public schools to elite private colleges and universities.

Because of the civil rights lawsuit, Harvard’s class of 2021 will consist of 14.6 African Americans, 22.2 Asian Americans, 11.6 Hispanics, and 2.5 Native Americans, according to Harvard website.