Rep. Ted Lieu (D., Calif.) ripped Harvard University for systematic bias against Asian American students, which was revealed after internal Harvard reports became a focal point in a lawsuit against the school.
An analysis of more than 160,000 student records filed Friday in federal court in Boston shows Harvard consistently rated Asian applicants lower on "positive personality," likability, courage, kindness, and being "widely respected," the New York Times reported Friday.
Harvard documented its bias against Asian applicants in 2013 in a series of internal reports, but the university ignored the findings and never publicly released them.
Lieu, who was born in Tawain and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, did not take kindly to the findings revealed as a result of the lawsuit. He said he was sure Harvard was lying about its admissions policies not being racist and chided the school for ranking Asians as have worse personalities.
Dear @Harvard: Your admissions policies against Asian-Americans are racist. Take your "personality trait" crap and shove it. How's that for "courage."
Also, you need to apologize. https://t.co/WQXWAlYQ6E
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 15, 2018
How do we know @Harvard is lying about its racist admissions policies against Asian-Americans? Because it won't release its own internal reviews from 2013 showing discrimination.
Release the information Harvard. What are you hiding?
Oh, and do you like my personality traits? https://t.co/LSgHBMl5Bh
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 15, 2018
Lieu acknowledged universities can use race as a factor in admissions, citing the Supreme Court case Fisher v. University of Texas.
The congressman argued what Harvard did here was unique, and wrong, for the university attributed personality traits based on race to Asians.
The Supreme Court has held race can be used as a factor in admissions. But what @Harvard appears to have done is attribute personality traits based on race. That is what is outrageous, because it feeds into historical damaging stereotypes about Asian-Americans. https://t.co/sHPut2Kd9T
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 15, 2018
In Harvard's admissions approach, Asians scored higher than applicants of any other racial group on test scores, grades, and extracurricular activities, but their personality ratings significantly dragged down their chances of being admitted.
The suit against Harvard, brought by Students for Fair Admissions, alleges the institution imposes what is in effect "racial balancing" to keep the number of Asian students artificially low while advancing less qualified white, black, and Hispanic applicants.