Brown College has turn out to be the primary Ivy League faculty to explicitly ban caste discrimination all through its campus.
The establishment introduced on Thursday that it included caste in its non-discrimination coverage for college kids, college and employees. The coverage, which the college up to date following a vote from its governing physique this fall, additionally included different classes akin to race, faith, intercourse and gender identification.
In a information launch, Brown College’s Vice President for Institutional Fairness and Range Carey-Butler defined that whereas their earlier coverage already had provisions that may defend folks from caste discrimination, they “felt it was essential to carry this up and explicitly categorical a place on caste fairness.”
The caste system is a social hierarchy in historical India that ranks the order of teams, figuring out a person’s occupation, food regimen and even marital alternative. Whereas South Asian nations have already outlawed the caste system, these within the oppressed castes proceed to expertise types of discrimination. Even within the U.S., the place Indians have turn out to be among the many largest teams of immigrants, many nonetheless face slurs and microaggressions.
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The discharge additional famous that Brown directors labored with college students to develop particular protections for caste that may legitimize “caste-oppressed experiences” and supply a “framework for reporting incidents.”
“Many caste-oppressed folks stay ‘closeted’ about their caste identification in concern of experiencing retaliation or discrimination,” the scholars mentioned. “The brand new language of the College’s nondiscrimination coverage presents caste-oppressed college students who could also be hiding their caste identification an choice to report and deal with the hurt they expertise.”
Advocacy group Equality Labs counseled the college for extending “caste protections to its whole campus.”
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“With about 15 p.c of its pupil inhabitants being worldwide college students, the addition of caste within the anti-discrimination will defend each home and worldwide college students, employees, and college from the caste discrimination rampant throughout American greater training establishments,” the group mentioned within the launch.
South Asian college students in U.S. colleges have reported that their caste identities have resulted in social exclusion on campus.
Comparable provisions in different faculties and universities have been adopted earlier this 12 months, together with the California State College system, the College of California, Davis, Colby School and Brandeis College.
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Two college members filed a lawsuit in opposition to CSU, claiming the coverage would solely bolster discrimination in opposition to the varsity’s Hindu and South Asian populations.
Harvard College additionally instituted caste protections final 12 months however just for pupil employees, which is included in its contract with the Harvard Graduate Pupil Union.
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Featured Picture through Brown College