WASHINGTON DC -
Federal civil rights officials plan to
subpoena 19 Washington-area colleges as part of an investigation
into possible discrimination against women in admissions.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is investigating whether some colleges favor men by admitting them at higher rates than women or by offering them more generous aid packages.
"There is no suggestion the schools are doing anything wrong," said Lenore Ostrowsky, acting chief of public affairs for the US Commission on Civil Rights. "They just fit the profile."
The schools the commissioners voted to subpoena Wednesday are all within 100 miles of Washington and include midstate schools York College of Pennsylvania, Gettysburg College, Shippensburg University, and Messiah College. They were chosen as a representative sample of U.S. higher education.
Women outnumber men nearly 60 percent to 40 percent in higher education nationally. There is anecdotal evidence that admissions officials are discriminating to promote a more even gender mix.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is investigating whether some colleges favor men by admitting them at higher rates than women or by offering them more generous aid packages.
"There is no suggestion the schools are doing anything wrong," said Lenore Ostrowsky, acting chief of public affairs for the US Commission on Civil Rights. "They just fit the profile."
The schools the commissioners voted to subpoena Wednesday are all within 100 miles of Washington and include midstate schools York College of Pennsylvania, Gettysburg College, Shippensburg University, and Messiah College. They were chosen as a representative sample of U.S. higher education.
Women outnumber men nearly 60 percent to 40 percent in higher education nationally. There is anecdotal evidence that admissions officials are discriminating to promote a more even gender mix.
