Lawsuits Filed Against Harvard and UNC over Affirmative Action Policies

By April Newell 11-24-14

Lawsuits have been filed against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill arguing that affirmative action policies should be prohibited at colleges across the nation.

The suits claim UNC and Harvard rely on race-based affirmative action polices that negatively impact admissions of high-achieving white and Asian American students applying at the same time. The Harvard lawsuit specifically suggests the University restricts the number of Asian American students admitted per year.

The lawsuits allege that ‘race neutral’ policies imposed at some competitive schools- such as giving a greater consideration to students’ socio-economic background when offering financial aid- can promote diversity better than affirmative action can.