Harvard sued for racial discrimination against Asian-Americans - as confirmed by their own study

Harvard University is facing a lawsuit filed by a group who alleges that Harvard unfairly discriminates against applicants of Asian descent.

This year, Harvard sent acceptance letters to a mere 4.6 percent of its applicants.  But a lawsuit against the institution is accusing the school of directing a significant number of those letters away from more-deserving students of Asian descent.

How's that?

Harvard is being sued by the group Students for Fair Admissions, who believes that "racial classifications and preferences in college admissions are unfair, unnecessary, and unconstitutional."

SFFA's suit against Harvard claims that although Asian-American students tend to apply to the school with stronger academic and extra-curricular credentials, they are unfairly "rated down" in subjective categories pertaining to personality traits.

If Harvard applicants were granted admission based solely on their academic merit, Asian-Americans would have made up more than 43 percent of the 2013 freshmen...according to a Harvard study from that same year.

But the number of Asian-American students in Harvard's admitted class is only at 23 percent; which the school boasts is a 29 percent increase over the last decade.

Putting the alleged disparity in perspective, SFFA claims that an Asian-American male applicant to Harvard with a 25 percent chance of admission would actually have a much better chance if he were of another race: 35 percent chance if he was Caucasion, 75 percent if he were Hispanic, and 95 percent chance if he were African-American.

Founder and SFFA attorney Edward Blum says, "This filing definitively proves that Harvard engages in racial balancing, uses race as far more than a 'plus' factor, and has no interest in exploring race-neutral alternatives.

"It is our hope that the court will carefully study the statistical, documentary, and testimonial evidence amassed against Harvard and end these unfair and unlawful practices."

What does the school have to say about it?

In its filing, Harvard called the suit against their institution "the latest salvo by ideological opponents of race in university admissions," and maintained:

"Harvard seeks excellence from its students, but it does not define excellence through a narrow focus on grades and test scores.

"Rather, Harvard's admissions process is designed to identify engaged and creative students who will take their place as the leaders of the next generation and who will be equipped to deal with a complex, diverse world."