[smifatv]

It was put forth as an issue of civil rights, so I treated it as such. Harvard does have an obligation, as a public institution (even if not one funded by public moneys) to treat people equally and such (ie, they can't just accept white kids). Certainly this is not a situation that could end up in court without being thrown out forthwith, given the relatively insignificant relevance of this particular issue; but that does not mean Harvard can't choose to treat it as an issue of conflicting rights - or conflicting opinions/desires. You can view any governmental (even 'governments' like Harvard's board) intervention as resolving a conflict of rights (or interests or desires, whatever word you prefer); any governmental action that cannot be viewed as such is an unnecessary one.

The argument that "Harvard is an american institution" is pure hogwash. America is a land of multiculturalism where no one culture is assumed superior, or at least is supposed to be; and when possible we make allowances for cultures very different from our own. The argument against this is that it is too significant a harm to justify the benefit, not that it's unreasonable to try and accept others' beliefs.