UCLA medical school continues to use racial preferences: REPORT
UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine appears to use racial preferences when selecting students to serve on the admissions committee, according to recently published documents.
The internal policy was shared despite the federal government opening an investigation into the medical school for race-based discrimination less than two weeks prior.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine appears to use racial preferences when selecting students to serve on the admissions committee, according to recently published documents. The internal policy was shared despite the federal government opening an investigation into the medical school for race-based discrimination less than two weeks prior.
The documents, circulated on April 8, mandated that new representatives for officers on the admissions committees come from certain minority groups, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
The admissions committee chairs “will review all submitted recommendations to ensure representation from those who identify as [Black, Indigenous, or People of Color and LGBTQ+,” a screenshot of a memo published by the Free Beacon states.
In March, the Department of Justice announced that it was opening an investigation into UCLA regarding allegations of racial discrimination, according to The Daily Bruin. Around the same time, the Department of Health and Human Services began an investigation on the same grounds into a “major medical school” in the state.
“The investigation will examine whether the HHS-funded medical school gives unlawful preference to applicants based on their race, color, or national origin,” HHS wrote in a March press release.
Following the Free Beacon report, the nonprofit organization, Do No Harm, filed a class-action lawsuit against UCLA’s medical school for allegedly ignoring the Supreme Court’s decision against race-based affirmative action in the 2022 case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
“UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine has continually treated the Students for Fair Admissions ruling as a recommendation, rather than a binding law handed down by the highest court in the land,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chair of Do No Harm, told Fox News.
“Do No Harm is fighting for all the students who have been racially discriminated against by UCLA under the guise of political progress,” Golfarb continued. “All medical schools must abide by the law of the land and prioritize merit, not immutable characteristics, in admissions.”
The reaction to UCLA’s alleged racial discrimination is indicative of the nationwide scaleback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies under the Trump administration.
In a Feb. 14 notice that was sent to universities receiving federal money, the Department of Education warned schools that, if they do not remove DEI programs, they may lose their funding.
Proponents of “discriminatory practices,” including race-based preferences, have tried to “justify them” under DEI’s banner, the Education Department explained. “But under any banner, discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is, has been, and will continue to be illegal.”
This year, states such as Ohio and Ariona have taken steps to completely eliminate DEI from publicly funded universities.
Schools such as Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and University of Notre Dame have also removed references to DEI online.
Campus Reform has contacted UCLA for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
