FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Bill Bird

May 14, 2015

(916) 651-4029

Senate Republican Leader Condemns Discrimination Against Asian Americans

Supports Formal Complaint Against Ivy League Schools-News Conference Friday

SACRAMENTO: Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) is lending his support and legislative efforts to put an end to what appears to be continuous and systemic discrimination directed against Asian-Americans by certain Ivy League Universities. He will take part in a news conference scheduled for this Friday in Irvine to announce his support for an administrative complaint to be filed against Harvard University regarding its discriminatory admission practices against Asian American applicants.

The news conference will take place Friday, May 15^th at University Community Park located at 1 Beech Tree Lane in Irvine. The news conference will start at 10AM.

“I have led the fight against discrimination of any kind in my role as an elected leader,” said Senator Huff. “I led the fight against a Senate Constitutional Amendment (SCA 5) last year that sought to change the California Constitution and allow our public universities to openly discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Fortunately, this measure was met with defeat but other challenges remain.”

Senator Huff’s appearance in solidarity with the Orange Club at this Friday’s news conference is part of a much larger effort involving 50 Asian American organizations who will be announcing the formal action against Harvard University during a similar news event to be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

In addition, Senator Huff has sent formal letters to both the U.S. Department of Education and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announcing his support for the Administrative Complaint. Links to both letters can be found here.

Senator Huff will also introduce a Senate Resolution that calls upon Harvard University to end its focus on a student applicant’s race in its student enrollment process and to instead consider the overall individual contribution of each student candidate in a manner that does not have the practical effect of capping the number of Asian American students enrolled in its institution.

“The U.S. Supreme Court banned the use of quotas in school admissions as early as 1978,” said Senator Huff. “The discrimination and hidden quota systems against Asian Americans has formed detrimental barriers for these children advancing their education. These types of actions are contrary to the fundamental principles upon which this nation was built and for which so many fought to secure.”