Pfizer excludes Asian, white applicants from 9-year scholarship program

[Anonymous]

Available to undergraduate students in their junior year, the program will offer an initial 10-week summer internship, two years of full-time employment after undergraduate graduation, a fully paid two-year MBA, MPH or MS Statistics program, another summer internship between the first and second years of the chosen master’s program, and finally, employment with Pfizer after graduation.

Applicants must also meet Pfizer’s goals of “increasing the pipeline for Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic and Native Americans.” This leaves out Asian and white applicants, raising discrimination concerns among observers.

Asian Americans make up just 6.1% of the U.S. population, lower than Hispanic and Latino Americans (18.9%) and African Americans (13.6%). The non-Hispanic, non-Latino white population makes up 59.3%.

Heriot said the program has a “clear case of liability” under federal law. That includes the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which prohibits racial discrimination in contracting, and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in employment.

Pfizer also described itself as an “equal opportunity employer.” In response to minorities “not included” in the program, the company said it has “multiple opportunities” available throughout the year.

https://news.yahoo.com/pfizer-excludes-asian-white-applicants-184451504.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

[Anonymous]

I'm asian and I have no problem with this

[Anonymous]

I’m Latina and have mixed feelings about this. I really worry about the resentment that these types of “helpful” Job listings, internship opportunities etc. may create. I don’t like excluding any person or racial group from applying or getting ahead so this doesn’t sit well with me because if it were Latinos that are being excluded I would have a major issue with it.

Helping black and Hispanics is good but I think they should approach it as encouraging more Latino and blacks to apply, and maybe have internal goals of selecting a black or Latino candidate or have internal mentorship programs. That might be better than outright discriminating.

[Anonymous]

Good.

[Anonymous]

Don't blame URMs. Do better.

[Anonymous]

Companies who value diversity have to come up with ways to recruit the groups that are underrepresented in their companies. This policy is actually based on numbers, not some nefarious factor like racism.

They are a private company. It is their right.

You are probably the same poster who is always saying how horrible it is for Asians to try to gain admittance to college. And I say this as someone coming from a family who is half Asian.

Try not to see everything through the lens of racism against your group.

[Anonymous]

How is this different than any other scholarship opportunity that has requirements? Some say you have to major in a certain field, be from a certain town, participate in a certain sport. And there are already many scholarship opportunities that are only open to certain nationalities or religions.

[Anonymous]

Never change, Washington Free Beacon (which is actual source—Yahoo is just republishing it)

[Anonymous]

It’s a program to encourage URMs with an interest in the field. What is the problem with that?

- Not a URM

[Anonymous]

I wish they concentrated on income of the family rather than race, this way they could help poor students of all races. And yes, this would enable them to increase URM participation while not excluding poor Asian and White candidates.

However - I am a-ok with this too. Good for Pfizer.

- Asian-American.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish they concentrated on income of the family rather than race, this way they could help poor students of all races. And yes, this would enable them to increase URM participation while not excluding poor Asian and White candidates.

However - I am a-ok with this too. Good for Pfizer.

- Asian-American.

So is it OK for a POC from a rich family in Potomac MD that attended Sidwell and go on Princeton to apply while a poor white kid who lives in Annandale can't apply?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish they concentrated on income of the family rather than race, this way they could help poor students of all races. And yes, this would enable them to increase URM participation while not excluding poor Asian and White candidates.

However - I am a-ok with this too. Good for Pfizer.

- Asian-American.

So is it OK for a POC from a rich family in Potomac MD that attended Sidwell and go on Princeton to apply while a poor white kid who lives in Annandale can't apply?

+1. It's not okay. It should be income-based.

[Anonymous]

It’s their money, they can give it to whomever they wish. If they only wanted to give it to rich white kids from the DC metro, I would be okay with it. I cannot stand anyone who tells anyone else how they can spend their money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm asian and I have no problem with this

I’m white and I also have no problem with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s their money, they can give it to whomever they wish. If they only wanted to give it to rich white kids from the DC metro, I would be okay with it. I cannot stand anyone who tells anyone else how they can spend their money.

Not when you have Federal contract(s) with the US government.