Will UC go where CSU has gone?

From the LA Times: The California State University [CSU] announced it has added caste as a protected category in its systemwide anti-discrimination, a hard-fought policy deeply meaningful to Dalit students of South Asian decent. 

The Cal State policy came after years of activism from Dalit students and allies to bring an end to caste discrimination they encountered on campuses across California. 

“I commend the incredible work and dedication of the students, employees and other partners whose efforts ensure that our policies align with our bold aspirations,” said Cal State Chancellor Joseph I. Castro. 

Caste-oppressed people call themselves Dalit, which means “broken people.” Formerly known as untouchables, Dalits fell at the bottom of a centuries-old — and now outlawed — social hierarchy that governed the lives of over a quarter-billion people worldwide, including many in the U.S.

Caste was handed down at birth and determined a person’s social status based on so-called spiritual purity reflected by a feudal ranking of professions. Although caste discrimination is officially banned in India and other South Asian countries, the practice is rampant in the region and among communities in the diaspora...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-20/csu-adds-caste-to-its-anti-discrimination-policy.

The new policy, however, has created a controversy. The Hindu American Foundation notes a petition opposing the new rule by Hindu CSU faculty complaining that the new policy singles them out as a particular religious group and essentially applies only to certain nationalities. See:

https://www.hinduamerican.org/press/cal-state-caste-policy-faculty-petition.

Background: The anti-discrimination clause was negotiated between CSU and a union representing CSU faculty. The petition noted above asks the CSU Board of Trustees not to implement the agreement. It suggests, although it does not explicitly threaten, legal action on the grounds that singling out a specific religious/ethnic group is illegal.

According to another article on the subject, UC-Davis has a similar policy. See:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna12602. "CSU’s change follows a growing trend that has included the University of California, Davis, and Harvard University, which added similar protections after pressure from student activists."