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Defending Education, a nonprofit organization critical of transgender inclusion and racial equity in education, has filed a civil rights complaint against Southern Illinois University Carbondale, alleging the university violates federal discrimination laws by giving scholarships to students of particular race and sex groups.
A Wednesday, April 9 press release from the group states that Defending Education is bringing a federal civil rights complaint against Southern Illinois University pursuant with the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights discriminations complaint resolution procedures.
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The complaint is made regarding 33 federally funded scholarships that are issued to students on the basis of race and sex – which Defending Education claims violates Title VI, Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
As of Wednesday, a university spokesperson said they have not received any communication from the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education and was not providing any further comment.
Of the 33 listed scholarships, 11 come from the SIU’s Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — Paul Frazier — eight from the Enrollment Management Department, six from the College of Education, three from the College of Health & Human Sciences, one from Graduate School, one from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and three from the Student Affairs Department.
Some of these scholarships include the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI), which is awarded to a student who is a member of an unrepresented group, and the Inspiring Women Scholarship, which is awarded to a female student.
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Defending Education, formerly Parents Defending Education, launched in April of 2021 and works to “reclaim our schools from activists imposing harmful agendas,” according to its website. The organization states that through networking and investigation, they are fighting “indoctrination” in the classroom at the local, state and national level.
They have prior investigations on gender-inclusive policies including a recent investigation on transgender studies in Maine public schools that “direct staff to keep the gender identity of students hidden from parents” as well as investigations on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in schools.
A press release titled “Parents Defending Education goes to college as Defending Education” was also released on Wednesday, April 9 discussing the organization’s reach into higher education. Changing their name to Defending Education, the organization now focuses on both K-12 and higher education.
On Wednesday morning, an article by conservative media website the National Review was released regarding the complaint with comment from Defending Education President Nicki Neily.
“SIUC is one prime example of how American colleges and universities are in desperate need of reform, which is precisely why Defending Education (DE) is expanding its efforts into higher education: to hold American colleges and universities accountable, especially those like SIUC, who are enacting discriminatory initiatives under the guise of ‘equity,’” Neily said in the article.
Other universities around the country, including places like Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have received a similar complaint from the same group regarding scholarships.
UC Berkeley was flagged for offering a Environmentalists of Color Scholarship — a $10,000 recurring scholarship that is designed to build “radically inclusive social and environmental justice spaces on campus” according to another Defending Education press release, awarded to students of color. It is unclear the number of other universities that have received a complaint.
SIU Board of Trustees Chair J. Phil Gilbert, Frazier and Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw were not available for comment on Wednesday.
The Daily Egyptian has reached out to Defending Education and is awaiting comment, and will continue to report on this story as it expands.
Editor-in-chief Lylee Gibbs can be reached at [email protected] or on instagram @lyleegibbsphoto
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