2 white students sue UT Austin over affirmative action
The Students for Fair Admissions allege that the University of Texas’ use of racial preferences violates the 14th Amendment, as well as Texas laws, and other federal laws
The Students for Fair Admissions (SSFA) filed a lawsuit on behalf of two white perspective students claiming the University of Texas (Austin campus) did not give them a fair opportunity to be admitted due to their race.
According to Austin American-Statesman, their complaint alleges that “at least two members” applied to the university and were denied admission in 2018 and 2019.
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The suit names several of the university’s employees as defendants such as interim president, Jay Hartzell, James B. Milliken, and at least ten others.
According to the filing, the students have reasons to believe they were discriminated against based on race. They allege that the University of Texas’ use of racial preferences violates the 14th Amendment, as well as Texas laws, and other federal laws.
“UT has failed to meet its obligation following the 2016 Fisher ruling to continue to scrutinize the use of race in its admissions process,” said SSFA President Edward Blum.
According to SFFA, the mission of their nonprofit is to support and assist in litigation that restores the original principles of the American civil rights movement.
“A student’s race and ethnicity should not be factors that either harm or help that student to gain admission to a competitive university,” wrote SFFA.
This is not the first time that SSFA has used institution.
The group filed a case against the University of Texas in 2018, alleging that the university did not permit the use of the racial or ethnic classifications or preferences to process admissions. This lawsuit, submitted on behalf of students, was dropped on July 10 — ten days before the group filed their new suit.
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This new lawsuit also comes a week after the University of Texas released a set of initiatives designed to support non-white students.
The institution responded to suit saying, “The University of Texas at Austin will take a series of actions to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity and to more fully support Black students on campus.”
Previously, the group filed a suit against Harvard University officials. However, in 2019, Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policy was upheld as constitutional.
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