In a departmental meeting with multiple deans in attendance, psychology Professor Ione Fine is heard accusing the university of tacitly encouraging illegal hiring. Numerous objections are heard along with Fine’s comments, according to The National Association of Scholars.
Despite the Supreme Court decision last year of outlawing affirmative action, David Randall of The NAS, says it is nonetheless widespread among elite universities.
In cases brought by Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard and North Carolina, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities must stop considering race in admissions.
In theory, the Court’s ruling would force institutions of higher learning to look for new ways to achieve diverse student populations.
Ignoring the Supremes
That is, if university leaders take the ruling seriously.
"The people who are currently in charge of the universities want to ride it out. They want to keep on doing what they're doing and hope that whatever opposition there is will bubble and go away,” Randall says.
The University of Washington’s history of favoring such practices likely means no accountability for ignoring the Supreme Court. It’s likely that these administrators will continue along with their careers unharmed, Randall said.
There are many states across the country where that wouldn’t be the case.
“State legislatures can make a difference in how public universities above are run if you're in Missouri, Ohio, in Texas, in North Carolina, in Indiana where good work can be done at the state level,” Randall said.
The allegations revolve around a scandal first reported by The NAS in 2023. Washington’s own University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office found that a search committee re-ranked faculty job candidates on the basis of race.
The report described how the department’s diversity advisory committee members balked at ranking a white finalist ahead of a black finalist. The diversity advisory committee eventually won out, and the search committee changed its rankings on the basis of race, The NAS reported.
