<p>Woah isn't that dude in yale kinda young...17? that means he's really really smart...</p>
<p>'Is that a good idea? Isn't it important to have black students (no matter the country of origin) on the campus from a diversity point of view? They could be catalysts/inspiration for local blacks to aspire for good college education"</p>
<p>No one is talking about blocking the doors to black students from the Caribbean or Africa. </p>
<p>The point is that they shouldn't be admitted under affirmative action since affirmative action was designed to open the doors to equally qualified students who had been negatively affected by the racist/sexist practices that historically existed in the U.S.</p>
<p>African/Caribbean immigrants and their kids weren't affected by those practices, so shouldn't get tips based on it.</p>
<p>What Harvard found once they started investigating the backgrounds of their black students was that the majority of their black students came from immigrant African/Caribbean backgrounds. Such people are a very low proportion of the black students in the U.S. Harvard realized that it needed to reach out more to attract qualified black students who come from backgrounds historically affected by the U.S.'s segregation policies. Consequently, it particularly is important to attract African American nonimmigrant students from the South.</p>
<p>Incidentally, one of the first people to point this out was Lani Guinier, a Harvard grad and law school professor who is bi-racial -- white, Jewish mother, dad (who was a Harvard prof) who black and from the Caribbean.</p>
<p>If a black candidate was rejected with those credentials, there would be a nationwide candlelight vigil for him. An Asian candidate gets rejected with those credentials and you want to lynch him for even raising his voice.</p>
<p>No one wants to "lynch" anybody. This is a gross overstatement of the so-called "discrimination," which is actually not happening. Not having 100% success in admissions to particular Universities is not discrimination, or lynching. It's the real world. Welcome to it.</p>
<p>The comparison would be valid if all or most "qualified" Asians were being rejected from all private selective colleges. They are not. They are being accepted in impressive numbers relative to their population & even relative to their applications.</p>
<p>There won't be a candelight vigil for those Asians who don't get accepted because there are so many others who are. Again, no perspective here. No sense of proportion. None. The world is merely unfair because "I" as an individual have not been accepted or may not be accepted. You are not being rejected as a group. You are merely not being accepted universally & in totality. That is not discrimination. Look up the definition.</p>
<p>"The student suing has no legal leg to stand on."</p>
<p>You are a bit confused, this not a "lawsuit" (e.g a tort suit) in a conventional sense. It is an administrative action by an executive agency, (Dept of Education) Office for Civil Rights based upon a complaint filed by a college student, Jian Li now a 17 year freshman a Yale. In fact, such complaint once filed can be acted upon by this agency even when the complaining party filing such a complaint has not been personally harmed, which in essence means nearly anyone can make such a complaint</p>
<p>This agency enforces various federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education (ED), for example discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin being prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964</p>
<p>In regards to a conventional direct damages claim, there are interesting legal issues presented. This student - while ultimately rejected (after wait listing) at Harvard, Princeton, Standford, and U Penn - was accepted to both Yale and Cal Tech. If he had brought a conventional tort suit, it would not be the "standing to sue" issue as the major problem, instead it would be the ultimate issue how to determine if any damages were sustained</p>
<p>A plaintiff claiming enrollment at Yale instead of Princeton has harmed them in some monetary (tort damages) way - would be a difficult case to make. In any case, this student by all accounts just wants this "discrimination" (real or not) to cease</p>
<p>
[quote]
Caucasians and Asians have paid a high penalty for "diversity" programs,
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Huh? When blacks barely make up any portion of student bodies at major universities, I don't know what penalty you're referring to. </p>
<p>I think that, if anything, Asians have payed the price of being "the new Jews," and seeing admissions tailored in favor of whites.</p>
<p>"If a black candidate was rejected with those credentials, there would be a nationwide candlelight vigil for him. An Asian candidate gets rejected with those credentials and you want to lynch him for even raising his voice."</p>
<p>While that's an exaggeration about the vigil, it's true that if a black candidate with those credentials were rejected, that would result in national attention. Why? There's probably no black candidate in the country with those credentials although blacks are 12% of the US population, and a larger percentage of people in this country who are college age.</p>
<p>I'm kind of surprised to see how hostile people are to this Asian student. First of all, is it not absurd that Universities even consider race in the admissions process? Whatever happened to Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous quote: "I have a dream that one day, all men will be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin?" This black leader called for all people to set their obsolete concept of race aside and judge a man by his merits.</p>
<p>At the top universities today, Asians are being rejected in record numbers. Why? Because they are Asian and supposedly over represented in terms of their composition in the general popualtion. Just because Asians make up a relatively small part of the population, why should they be rejected on these grounds? Asians worked just as hard to get high SAT scores and high GPAs as the black or hispanic persons who claim to be oppressed but in fact are just inherently stupid or lazy. I believe that people should be judged on their merits and not thier race. The very idea of affirmative action is blatantly backwards and discriminatory.</p>
<p>And well done to the student that sued Princeton. They don't deserve federal money if they discrimate based on race.</p>
<p>And compare them to the regular admission statistics. The percentage gap may be even larger if you factor out legacies and such. Of course the data isn't perfect but using what we have ... Its obvious that affirmative action plays a big role.</p>
<p>I would welcome any residual that will come from this adminsitrative action by Mr. Li. I would like to commend him for pursuing this through proper channels so that we all could benefit and be informed.<br>
There must be more to Mr. Li than meets the eye if Yale took a chance at him and admitted him. Rather than disappearing into the shadows blend in with the next privileged generation, he decided to come out and perhaps speak for the thousands of other students who feel disadvantaged by the system, whether real or not real. Let his voice be heard.</p>
<p>While I definitely support affirmative action as a way to correct racial injustices of the past, I don't feel that Asian applicants should have to apologize for who they are and for the cultures they come from. Yes, Asians are more likely to have the same extracurriculars (math team, science research, etc etc) but who is to say that it makes their accomplishments of any less merit?</p>
<p>"who is to say that it makes their accomplishments of any less merit?"</p>
<p>The private institutions, aka businesses, that these kids are applying to?</p>
<p>Sorry, the theory that private universities - which supposedly can be also be described simply as "businesses" - are immune to such complaints simply will not work in this case</p>
<p>The complaint is being brought under the Dept of Educations Office for Civil Rights which is responsible for enforcing civil rights compliance by institutions receiving federal education funds. Its jurisdiction extends to virtually every primary school, secondary school, and college in the country.</p>
<p>How is he going to prove they rejected him <em>because</em> he is Asian, though? They can always claim intangibles like better ECs (leaving diversity entirely out). I mean, it makes more sense to take a lower ranked, lower stats kid with more leadership who plays tuba that will satisfy an institutional need.</p>
<p>Jesus NSM, are you freeking serious?! No black people have good stats? That is possibly the stupidest thing 2nd to "Asians are intellectually superior" that I have read on CC. I'm pretty sure this is my last day signing into CC. I'm so embarrassed for some of you people.</p>
<p>Can you explain to me what average means? If the average blue person got 900 on their SATs, does that mean that all blue people got 900 on their SATs? Nooooo. It means some got below, some got above and some got 900. So does that still mean that all blue people have a 900 or above score? Did all get 900 or below? Noooo. It is only an AVERAGE! Meaning some blue people could have received a 2500 AND that it's not negated because other blue people didn't. In conclusion, it is not impossible for a blue person to excel on a test because others didn't. The audacity! As if you know every black person from an average. This is why I've often thought that statistics of any kind involving race and gender shouldn't be released to the general public because they are only used to demean those with the lowest percentages and to discriminate. Very very rarely do I see people interpret stats correctly.</p>
<p>Racism, racism, racism...oh how thought filled it is.</p>
<p>The thought of knowing that your skin color was a principle factor in why you were rejected for your dream college and that had you been born of a different race, you would have been accepted... is not a great feeling.
I believe that Jian Li would have been accepted at Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT if he had been of another race (I am thinking a URM) other than Chinese. This, to me, is unfair. Why should an applicant's chances be lower if he or she is of a particular race or skin color?
Then again, there is that often-spoken goal of diversity that many admissions offices claim to be the basis for their decisions. But which is more important? Equality? or Diversity?</p>
<p>Asians ARE the new Jews. But universities are ridiculous and probably will never use race blind admissions.</p>
<p>On a similar note, I encourage everybody to read this Malcolm Gladwell article, "Getting In." </p>
<p>It's fascinating. It explains the Jewish stigma, then connects it with the current attitude towards Asians. I love Gladwell!!! <333</p>
<p>It's arguable that had he been of another race, an URM race, he wouldn't have those stats. Asians on average are of a much higher socioeconomic class than URMs and thus are at a bigger advantage, which is why a 2400 from an Asian isn't as impressive as a 2400 from an URM.</p>
<p>I would almost bet you his applications were average...he very likely, with his attitude, thought his #s were enough, with so many schools rejecting him with thos stats, that would be my guess</p>
<p>also, we know nothing about his ECs, etc, and if they were good, you don't think they would be mentioned</p>
<p>This kid thinks his scores trump all other parts of an application, and I find that jsut pathetic...scores are scores, but are only part of a whole package</p>
<p>maybe his recs were mediocre, maybe he was a one note wonder, maybe his essays were snooty, who knows...he will not win in this case, at least I hope not, if he wants a school of # driven kids, the school will be worse ofl IMO</p>