UW Reaffirms Commitment To Diversity

The University of Washington Law School, responding to a lawsuit that claims a woman wasn’t admitted as a student because she is white, says it is proud of its diverse student body.

Nearly half the students are women, and about 30 percent are racial minorities, said the school’s dean, Roland Hjorth.

“We are proud of that diversity,” Hjorth told a news conference Friday. “We think it makes for a better law school. Students learn in community with each other, and students who are members of a diverse group are better students.”

In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Katuria E. Smith claims she was denied admission in 1994 because of racial discrimination that denied her constitutional rights to equal protection under the law. She is seeking financial damages.