California State University’s decision to include caste in its non-discriminatory policy is facing a backlash from a section of faculty members who are calling the order a “misguided overreach”.

More than 80 faculty members have shot off a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees opposing the move, claiming that the new policy will “cause more discrimination by unconstitutionally singling out and targeting Hindu faculty of Indian and South Asian descent.”

The signatories also expressed disappointment about not being consulted by the California Faculty Association (CFA) before the decision to adopt this policy was made.

"We had previously met with the CFA president in May 2021 about this possibility and were assured that no such decision would be made without consulting those of us who would be directly impacted by the addition of caste in the protected category. To our great disappointment, CFA did not consult any of us."

Adding caste as a specific and separate protected category would apply only to the faculty of Indian and South Asian descent, they said.

“The addition of caste is a misguided overreach given the existence of comprehensive policies that already protect against various forms of discrimination,” Praveen Sinha, professor of accountancy at CSU, Long Beach, told PTI news agency.

“We cannot but oppose the unique risk that CSU's move puts on us as they add a category that is only associated with people of Indian descent such as myself and thousands of other faculty and students in the CSU system. It is going to create divisions where they simply do not exist,” he added.

The faculty members have written that there are more than 600 CSU faculty of Indian and South Asian origin who would be rendered vulnerable should the collective bargaining agreement be passed as currently written, according to a media release.

Earlier, lawyers at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), Suhag Shukla, Samir Kalra and Nikhil Joshi, also sent a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees, the CSU Office of General Counsel, the CSU chancellor and the president of the California Faculty Association on behalf of the CSU faculty.

Caste oppression has been documented in the United States by Equality Labs, an organization focused on ending white supremacy and casteism, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported.

In 2016, the non-profit agency conducted a survey of 1,500 South Asians in the United States and found that 1 in 3 Dalit students surveyed reported being discriminated against during their education in the US and 2 out of 3 Dalits said they had been treated unfairly at their workplace.

(With inputs from agencies)

California State University’s decision to include caste in its non-discriminatory policy is facing a backlash from a section of faculty members who are calling the order a “misguided overreach”.

California State University’s decision to include caste in its non-discriminatory policy is facing a backlash from a section of faculty members who are calling the order a “misguided overreach”. More than 80 faculty members have shot off a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees opposing the move, claiming that the new policy will “cause more discrimination by unconstitutionally singling out and targeting Hindu faculty of Indian and South Asian descent.” The signatories also expressed disappointment about not being consulted by the California Faculty Association (CFA) before the decision to adopt this policy was made. "We had previously met with the CFA president in May 2021 about this possibility and were assured that no such decision would be made without consulting those of us who would be directly impacted by the addition of caste in the protected category. To our great disappointment, CFA did not consult any of us." Adding caste as a specific and separate protected category would apply only to the faculty of Indian and South Asian descent, they said. “The addition of caste is a misguided overreach given the existence of comprehensive policies that already protect against various forms of discrimination,” Praveen Sinha, professor of accountancy at CSU, Long Beach, told PTI news agency. “We cannot but oppose the unique risk that CSU's move puts on us as they add a category that is only associated with people of Indian descent such as myself and thousands of other faculty and students in the CSU system. It is going to create divisions where they simply do not exist,” he added. The faculty members have written that there are more than 600 CSU faculty of Indian and South Asian origin who would be rendered vulnerable should the collective bargaining agreement be passed as currently written, according to a media release. Earlier, lawyers at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), Suhag Shukla, Samir Kalra and Nikhil Joshi, also sent a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees, the CSU Office of General Counsel, the CSU chancellor and the president of the California Faculty Association on behalf of the CSU faculty. Caste oppression has been documented in the United States by Equality Labs, an organization focused on ending white supremacy and casteism, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported. In 2016, the non-profit agency conducted a survey of 1,500 South Asians in the United States and found that 1 in 3 Dalit students surveyed reported being discriminated against during their education in the US and 2 out of 3 Dalits said they had been treated unfairly at their workplace. (With inputs from agencies)

Over 80 faculty members oppose move to add caste in California University’s anti-discrimination policy

A major hurdle in the dream of a 17-year-old girl to pursue her higher education in the USA was cleared after Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj intervened to facilitate in getting her visa confirmed from the US Embassy.

The visa was confirmed yesterday after the intervention of the union minister, a Rajasthan government release said today.

Bhanupriya Haritwal of Jalalpur village, who was one of the three girls given a Rs 1 crore scholarship by the Rajasthan government to study abroad for securing a rank in the Class 10 state board exams in 2015, will now pursue computer science from the California State University in the USA, it said.

She had secured the second rank in the examination following which she got the scholarship for the four-year course, the release said.

Haritwal, whose father Sohan Lal is a teacher at a private college in Sikar district, had applied for the visa, but the application was rejected twice by the embassy, it said.

&quot;The girl had cleared the internal test conducted by the California State University and then applied for the visa. But, it was rejected twice by the US Embassy.

&quot;The family had approached me, and I took up the case with the external affairs minister who helped her securing the visa yesterday,&quot; Sikar MP Swami Sumedhanand told PTI.

The girl is talented and will now pursue her higher education from the university, the MP said.

Haritwal after clearing her class 12 board exam had secured good scores in SAT and IELTS to secure admission at the California State University.

From a middle-class family, she completed school education in Hindi medium, the release said.

&quot;The girl had cleared the internal test conducted by the California State University and then applied for the visa. But, it was rejected twice by the US Embassy.&quot;

&quot;The family had approached me, and I took up the case with the external affairs minister who helped her securing the visa yesterday,&quot; Sikar MP Swami Sumedhanand told news agency PTI.

The girl is talented and will now pursue her higher education from the university, the MP said.

Ms Haritwal, after clearing her class 12 board exam, had secured good scores in SAT and IELTS to secure admission at the California State University.

She is from a middle-class family and completed school education in Hindi medium, the release said.

Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj intervened to facilitate in getting her visa confirmed from the US Embassy

A major hurdle in the dream of a 17-year-old girl to pursue her higher education in the USA was cleared after Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj intervened to facilitate in getting her visa confirmed from the US Embassy. The visa was confirmed yesterday after the intervention of the union minister, a Rajasthan government release said today. Bhanupriya Haritwal of Jalalpur village, who was one of the three girls given a Rs 1 crore scholarship by the Rajasthan government to study abroad for securing a rank in the Class 10 state board exams in 2015, will now pursue computer science from the California State University in the USA, it said. She had secured the second rank in the examination following which she got the scholarship for the four-year course, the release said. Haritwal, whose father Sohan Lal is a teacher at a private college in Sikar district, had applied for the visa, but the application was rejected twice by the embassy, it said. "The girl had cleared the internal test conducted by the California State University and then applied for the visa. But, it was rejected twice by the US Embassy. "The family had approached me, and I took up the case with the external affairs minister who helped her securing the visa yesterday," Sikar MP Swami Sumedhanand told PTI. The girl is talented and will now pursue her higher education from the university, the MP said. Haritwal after clearing her class 12 board exam had secured good scores in SAT and IELTS to secure admission at the California State University. From a middle-class family, she completed school education in Hindi medium, the release said. "The girl had cleared the internal test conducted by the California State University and then applied for the visa. But, it was rejected twice by the US Embassy." "The family had approached me, and I took up the case with the external affairs minister who helped her securing the visa yesterday," Sikar MP Swami Sumedhanand told news agency PTI. The girl is talented and will now pursue her higher education from the university, the MP said. Ms Haritwal, after clearing her class 12 board exam, had secured good scores in SAT and IELTS to secure admission at the California State University. She is from a middle-class family and completed school education in Hindi medium, the release said.

Swaraj intervenes, 17-yr-old girl's US dream to come true

california-state-university

California State University, News on California State University, stories on California State University, articles on California State University, California State University stories at Wion, California State University news, California State University latest news

california state-university

Over 80 faculty members oppose move to add caste in California University’s anti-discrimination policy

Swaraj intervenes, 17-yr-old girl's US dream to come true