AAUP Responds to DOJ Affirmative Action Initiative

AAUP National
August 2, 2017

The following statement was issued by Hank Reichman, first vice president of the American Association of University Professors, in response to news that the Justice Department will redirect resources to investigating and possibly litigating affirmative action cases in college admissions.

"The American Association of University Professors is deeply troubled by yesterday's announcement that the US Department of Justice will redirect resources toward investigating and potentially filing suit against colleges and universities deemed to discriminate against white applicants.  While the department does not explicitly mention affirmative action, it is clear that the effort-to be directed, it appears, by political appointees rather than career attorneys in the Office of Educational Opportunity- will target programs that offer opportunities to members of historically disadvantaged groups.  That such programs remain necessary is demonstrated by Department of Education data showing the gap in college enrollment between blacks and whites did not change measurably between 2003 and 2013.

Read the full article at the national AAUP website here.