On  Aug. 30, 2018, the U.S Department of Justice defended a lawsuit against Harvard University for artificially capping the number of qualified Asian-Americans accepted into the school.

“Harvard has failed to carry its demanding burden to show that its use of race does not inflict unlawful racial discrimination on Asian-Americans,” the Dept. of Justice said.

Having a diverse college population is important, but colleges should never undermine a student’s application because of their race. The reactions to this lawsuit mark changing times for Asian-Americans around the country.

Moreover, the debate for the famous Regents of University of California v. Bakke case pertaining to college admissions has been reignited.

In 1978, this case resulted in ruling that university ‘racial quotas’ were unconstitutional. However, the case also ruled that affirmative action programs could be constitutional under some circumstances.

Affirmative action is a policy that favors those who tend to suffer discrimination. It is a prevalent policy in employment and education today.

Providing lower minorities with a  ‘leg- up’ in the college admissions process, affirmative action typically helps those who have lower incomes and are less likely to reach a certain standard.

Nevertheless, like most issues in our country, there is a large amount of controversy that surrounds affirmative action. High-ranking schools, such as the prestigious Ivy Leagues, have been known to rate Asian-Americans lower on personality traits, due to the stereotypes that have been built in our society. This weakens their applications and lowers their chances of getting in.

Lessening one student’s application due to their race is unconsitutional. It’s time that colleges understand that a student is much more than his/her race. You should not be defined by your background; you should be defined by your actions.