A lawsuit filed by UCLA law professor Richard Sander attempts to raise suspicions that that University of California discriminates against Asian Americans, reports Inside Higher Education.
Sanders is suing to force the university to give him detailed information on applicants, including their names, to determine if different criteria is used to judge applicants based on race and ethnicity.
UCLA (pictured left), the most applied to school in the 10 campus system, is 29 percent Asian American, 27 percent White, 22 percent Hispanic and three percent Black.
Sander is joined in his lawsuit by the Asian American Community Services Center headed by George Shen. Little is known about the organization. AsAmNews conducted a Google search on the group and turned up no information. There is a George Shen who ran in a recall election this year to replace California State Senator Josh Newman. Shen won just 5 percent of the vote and placed fifth in a six person race. He ran as a Republican, but we were not able to confirm this is the same Shen involved in this lawsuit.
“My main purpose is to further research on this,” Sander said to the Chronicle of Higher Education. “My co-plaintiff’s purpose is to find out if there’s systematic anti-Asian-American discrimination going on.”
The use of race in admissions in California is banned under a voter approved measure passed in 1996.
“Sander has asked us to prepare for him a specific data set that we do not have, and, apparently, he is suing to compel us to do so,” said a UC spokesperson. “Under the California Public Records Act, we are not legally obligated to do so,” she said.
She denied the use of race in admissions, according to the Chronicle for Higher Education.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story.
