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The University of California, Berkeley has been hit with a federal civil rights complaint for allegedly engaging in discrimination on the basis of race and nation of origin.
A new federal civil rights complaint filed by the Equal Protection Project (EPP) on Tuesday demanded an investigation into programs at the Haas School of Business, alleging that certain students were excluded from an MBA (Masters of Business Administration) preparatory program due to their race and ethnicity, violating Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause.
Cornell Law professor William A. Jacobson founded the EPP to ensure fair treatment of all people without regard to race or ethnicity – and he feels Berkeley is being unfair to non-Hispanic students. The complaint, which has been obtained by Digital, details that the Haas Thrive Fellows program is to “educate, prepare, and motivate Latinx/Hispanic individuals” to apply and succeed at a top business school.
“The Haas Thrive Fellows program openly discriminates on the basis of race and national origin. Haas clearly tells students the program is intended for ‘Latinx/Hispanic’ students, setting up a barrier that would deter other students from applying. Regardless of the purpose of the discrimination, it is wrong and unlawful,” Jacobson told Digital.
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The University of California, Berkeley has been hit with a federal civil rights complaint for allegedly engaging in discrimination on the basis of race and nation of origin. ((Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images))
“After the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admission, it is clear that discriminating on the basis of race to achieve diversity is not lawful,” he continued. “Haas knows better than to run a program that excludes and discriminates against students based on race and ethnicity.”
Berkeley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jacobson feels that the “harm from racial and ethnic educational barriers is that it racializes not just the specific program, but the entire campus.” He said that non-discrimination standards, which have been adopted by University of California institutions, should apply to the Haas School of Business.
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Cornell Law School professor and Legal Insurrection Foundation president William A. Jacobson founded the Equal Protection Project. ()
“At every level, by policy the university rejects discrimination. UC-Berkeley and Haas should live up to their own set of rules. Sending a message to students that access to opportunities is dependent on race and ethnicity is damaging to the fabric of campus,” Jacobson said.
“Haas needs to come up with a remedial plan to compensate students shut out of this educational opportunity due to race or ethnicity,” Jacobson added. “The Equal Protection Project calls on the leadership of UC and UC-Berkeley to make sure nondiscrimination standards are upheld throughout the university system.”
The EPP’s guiding principle is that there is “no ‘good’ form of racism,” and that the “remedy for racism never is more racism,” according to its website.
“Colleges and universities need to adopt the approach of EqualProtect.org, which is that there is no ‘good’ form of racism, and the remedy for racism is not more racism,” Jacobson said.
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