The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) recently canceled a scholarship for black medical students after the Trump administration opened an investigation into the “race-based scholarship” in February.
According to al(dot)com, the UAB’s Office of Advancement and Strategic Initiatives told donors on April 11 that “UAB has made the decision to discontinue awarding the scholarship(s) and to return the scholarship funds to you.”
The Herschell Lee Hamilton, M.D., Endowed Scholarship in Medicine was created in 2013 to provide medical school tuition for black students who maintained a 3.0 GPA and demonstrated financial need, according to the outlet.
According to the outlet, UAB said in its letter to donors it decided to return the money after the letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), when it “determined that the criteria for the scholarship could not be amended to comply” with the law and the scholarship’s intent.
The OCR stated it was investigating UAB and five other colleges in February for “alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation.”
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination; today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes. Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.”
A UAB spokesperson did not return a request for comment to 1819 News.
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