美国国家公共电台 NPR Does Harvard Treat Asian-American Applicants Unfairly? The Case Goes To Trial

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Harvard University goes on trial in Boston today for alleged¹ discrimination against Asian-Americans. The group that's suing the school is called Students for Fair Admissions, and it claims the university systematically² ranks Asian-American applicants³ lower on personality characteristics. Harvard denies this charge. Joining us now, reporter Kirk Carapezza of Boston member station WGBH. He's been following this story closely. Kirk, thanks for being here.

KIRK CARAPEZZA, BYLINE⁴: Hey. Good morning, Rachel.

MARTIN: So I just gave the broad brush strokes of what the suit is about, but can you get more detailed⁵? What is the central allegation here?

CARAPEZZA: Sure. The group Students for Fair Admissions, led by conservative legal strategist Edward Blum, is claiming that Harvard caps the number of academically qualified⁶ Asian-American applicants by using these personal ratings. In court, the group will need to prove that Harvard is intentionally⁷ rejecting the applicants because they're Asian, because of their race. I spoke⁸ with attorney Lee Cheng with the Asian American Legal Foundation, which is supporting this lawsuit⁹. Cheng is Chinese-American, and he's also a Harvard graduate.

LEE CHENG: Harvard is systematically saying that Asian candidates are not likable and don't have good personalities¹⁰ by orders of magnitudes less than candidates of any other ethnic¹¹ group, which is really nothing but racist¹². It perpetuates¹³ and feeds and creates stereotypes¹⁴.

MARTIN: So just to be clear, Kirk - so Harvard uses this personality rating system for all applicants. It's just that this group is alleging¹⁵ that Asian-American applicants are the ones who get dinged most often.

CARAPEZZA: Right, Rachel. They're - the group is claiming that Harvard is using these rankings to racially balance its classes, which is illegal. It's unconstitutional.

MARTIN: So how is Harvard waging a defense¹⁶?

CARAPEZZA: Harvard says there's been no discrimination against Asian-American applicants. And it continuously points out that Asian-Americans now account for 23 percent of all admitted students, and they make up just 6 percent of the U.S. population. At a higher education event in Detroit last month, I caught up with Harvard's new president, Larry Bacow, and he defended the college's admissions process.

LARRY BACOW: Nobody wants to be judged on their numbers alone. People understand and recognize that we learn from our differences, that creating a diverse learning environment enriches the learning experience for every student on campus.

CARAPEZZA: And Bacow says what's at stake here is Harvard and higher education's ability to create that diverse environment, which he argues is central to its mission.

MARTIN: The Trump¹⁷ administration has come out and weighed in on this. The Department of Justice is backing the plaintiffs. Is going to make a difference?

CARAPEZZA: Right. Last month, the Justice Department filed a brief in support of the lawsuit, saying Harvard's admissions process, quote, "may be infected with racial bias¹⁸." Here in Boston, Judge Allison Burroughs will preside over the trial. And she was nominated by President Obama back in 2014. And she's the same judge who blocked President Trump's executive order designed to ban refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Judge Burroughs is known for her independent streak¹⁹, so I don't think she'll be swayed by the Justice Department or the Trump administration or any other political agenda.

MARTIN: I mean, this is about Harvard, but could this case have an impact on admissions policies at other schools?

CARAPEZZA: Civil rights leaders certainly worry about that. They see this lawsuit as a direct attack on race-conscious admissions, which for the past 40 years the Supreme²⁰ Court has allowed if carefully done. Students for Fair Admissions has explicitly²¹ said their goal is to overturn that precedent²². And they want selective schools like Harvard to stop considering race altogether.

MARTIN: Reporter Kirk Carapezza from WGBH in Boston, thanks so much.

CARAPEZZA: Thanks, Rachel.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

3 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

6 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

7 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

10 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

11 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

12 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

13 perpetuates   

n.使永存，使人记住不忘( perpetuate的名词复数 )；使永久化，使持久化，使持续

参考例句：

• Giving these events a lot of media coverage merely perpetuates the problem. 媒体大量地报道这些事件只会使问题持续下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Lack of water perpetuates poverty, increases the risk of political instability, and affects global prosperity. 水资源短缺导致贫穷，使政局不稳，且影响全球的繁荣。 来自互联网

14 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

16 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

17 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

18 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

19 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

20 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

21 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

22 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。