UCLA Students Protest Professor Over Race-Based Admissions Debate

Universities across the U.S. are facing growing scrutiny and legal challenges over race-based admissions and scholarship policies in the wake of shifting affirmative action standards. At UCLA, law students protested Professor Richard Sander for filing a lawsuit that alleges the university discriminates against white and Asian American applicants, with student groups defending diversity initiatives and condemning his stance as harmful. Meanwhile, the Equal Protection Project has filed numerous complaints—including against the University of South Carolina—for offering scholarships with eligibility criteria based on race, which they argue violate civil rights laws and the Constitution. Nationally, a controversial PhD initiative criticized for previously excluding white and Asian scholars has removed racially exclusionary language from its website amid federal investigations. The U.S. Department of Education is investigating 45 universities partnered with The PhD Project, as part of a broader probe into alleged racially exclusive practices in higher education. These developments highlight the intensifying debate over how institutions balance diversity goals with legal requirements for equal protection.