California higher education has an addiction problem — and I’m not talking about illegal drugs.
Higher education in the state is addicted to group identity, stacking educational benefits and opportunities based on race and ethnicity.
The system is infested with discriminatory programming aimed at favoring racial and ethnic minorities over white students.
But wait, you say, didn’t the Supreme Court outlaw that?
Yes, the Supreme Court ruled in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard in 2023 that race-conscious admissions decisions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (guaranteeing equal protection of the laws), and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (outlawing discrimination based on race, color, or national origin for entities that receive federal funding).
As the court said, “[e]liminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”
But the problem in higher education is not primarily legal. Rather, the problem is a culture in higher education in which judging students based racial and ethnic group identity is a quasi-religious principle.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-industrial complex of faculty, administrators, government bureaucrats, consultants, and nonprofits support this deeply embedded belief system, and it will take much more than a court ruling to change hearts and minds.
Many schools have responded to the Harvard decision by trying to interpret the Supreme Court ruling as limited to university admissions, when in fact it was an “equal protection” ruling applying to any university activity covered by the 14th Amendment or Title VI.
Other schools have “rebranded” DEI, including Cornell University, where I teach law. Cornell changed “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” to “Inclusion and Belonging.” Same stuff, different name. It would be funny if it weren’t so damaging.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
