A nonprofit organization recently filed a discrimination complaint against Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) for offering scholarships that allegedly violate Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Defending Education filed the complaint against SIUC on April 9, and contends that SIUC offers 33 scholarships that discriminate on the basis of race or sex.
The allegedly discriminatory scholarships include the African-American Achievement Scholarship, the Black Undergrad Education Scholarship, the Hispanic-American Fund, the SIUC Minority Scholarship Fund and the Inspiring Women Scholarship.
One scholarship offered by SIUC states that “preference” will be given to students of “African American heritage,” according to the complaint. Another states that those from a“traditionally underrepresented minority group” will be prioritized.
“Preference will be given to an applicant who is African-American, Hispanic or other underrepresented population,” the Phoenix Cannabis Production Scholarship says, according to the complaint.
One program, the Alexander Lane Internship Fund, explicitly states that it will provide a paid student internship “for a minority SIU student.”
“SIUC is openly weaponizing taxpayer dollars to discriminate. No student should be told they’re the wrong color or gender to qualify for opportunity — especially at a public university funded by taxpayers,” Defending Education President Nicki Neily said in a statement to National Review about the complaint.
“This kind of blatant discrimination has no place in higher education, and it’s time for the Department of Education to stop it,” Neily continued.
As support for its claims, Defending Education cites the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and the Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” letter from February.
“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” the Supreme Court wrote in the S.F.F.A. v. Harvard ruling.
In its letter, the Education Department has clarified that scholarships that discriminate on the basis of race or sex violate federal law.
“Discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is illegal and morally reprehensible,” the department stated on Feb. 14.
“If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law,” the department continued, adding that federal law “prohibits” using race in decisions pertaining to “scholarships” and “prizes.”
Defending Education has since requested that the federal government “investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief.”
Campus Reform has contacted Southern Illinois University Carbondale for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
Patrick McDonald is a student at Hillsdale College pursuing a major in History and a minor in Politics. He competes full-time on the Hillsdale College Mock Trial team and the Hillsdale College Debate team. In high school, Patrick competed in the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA) in 13 different speech and debate events. He won numerous awards, including four national championships. Patrick also competed…
