Minority groups and government face off on university admissions

The American Civil Liberties Union and 35 Asian-American groups have voiced their support for Harvard University’s admissions process, which the Department of Justice has said is racially discriminatory.

Harvard University is battling a four-year-old lawsuit brought by the Students for Fair Admissions, a group opposed to the university’s affirmative action admissions policies.

SFFA alleges that the university discriminates against Asian-Americans in its admissions process by holding them to a higher standard than students of other ethnicities. Harvard, which says it considers applicants’ race among other factors as a way of increasing campus diversity, is fighting the suit.