EXCLUSIVE: Columbia, NYU, and other top med schools hit with civil rights complaints for discriminating against white and Asian teens by making it easier for blacks and others to join introductory classes
Six New York medical schools have been hit with civil rights complaints for discriminating against white and Asian teens by making it easier for blacks and others to attend their introductory classes.
Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and other prestigious institutions are facing investigations by the federal Department of Education.
The complaints, filed by the nonprofit Equal Protection Project (EPP), say the state’s Science and Technology Entry Program (NY-STEP) is making it easier for some students in grades 7 through 12 to get a spot obtain than for others.
Under the arrangement, students who are black, Latino, Alaskan native, or Native American can seek a spot. Others — including whites and Asians — must also demonstrate that they are “economically disadvantaged” in order to apply.
Students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai – one of the schools facing a civil rights complaint
William Jacobson, the founder of the EPP, said this “additional eligibility threshold” was illegal.
“Establishing additional barriers for some races and ethnic groups is in itself illegal discrimination,” Jacobson told DailyMail.com.
“Imagine if the roles were reversed, and these programs explicitly favored Asians and whites — there would be universal outcry and these medical schools would never accept such funding.”
William Jacobson says the extra barrier for whites and Asians is illegal
DailyMail.com contacted NYU, Columbia University and the other schools complained about.
They were Albany Medical College, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the University of Rochester Medical Center.
None of them have responded to our emails.
The programs are designed to give “highly motivated” high school students interested in a career in health care the opportunity to attend the state’s top medical schools, learn key skills, and receive a mentor.
They aim to “increase the number of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students in the medical field,” according to Columbia University’s website.
Yet, according to Jacobson, the policy erroneously assumes that all white and Asian children have it easy.
“The admissions guidelines deal with the kind of gross stereotypes that assume that students of certain racial and ethnic groups are disadvantaged and deserve preference,” he said.
The six letters of complaint were filed with the Civil Rights Office of the Federal Department of Education in New York.
The Albany Medical College website has details of the NY-STEP program
Students from Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, which is also facing an investigation
The EPP says the schools must be fined or they will lose out on federal funding.
The civil rights office, according to its website, is a “neutral fact-seeker” whose purpose is to investigate complaints and propose solutions.
The letters refer to the US Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down affirmative action in university admissions.
The judges stated that race cannot be a factor in the trial, forcing higher education institutions to look for new ways to reach diverse student populations.
The EPP says it is against racial discrimination in university admissions.
Most cases and complaints relate to discrimination against whites.
The number of blacks and Latinos enrolled in US medical schools is on the rise, but they are still underrepresented, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
One of the EPP’s letters of complaint against New York’s top medical schools
African-American students made up one-tenth of those enrolled in the 2022-2023 year, while Latinos made up 12 percent.
Meanwhile, the proportion of enrolled American Indians and Alaskans has fallen.
They made up just 1 percent of this year’s cohort.
For some, diversity programs are important and necessary because they can help overcome historical racism and sexism and make it easier for people of all backgrounds to advance in education and work.
However, critics say it is a form of reverse racism that unfairly hits back at white men.
Others still say they may have good intentions, but rarely achieve the desired results and often make matters worse by creating divisions in offices and classrooms.