Culture Reporter
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is under investigation by the U.S Department of Education to determine whether two of its scholarship programs give preference to minority students and those who were not born in the United States.
In its Wednesday news release, the DOE noted that a complaint from the Legal Insurrection Foundation’s Equal Protection Project challenges two UNO scholarships – the Dreamer’s Pathway Scholarship and the HDR Scholarship – alleging they violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
According to DOE, the Dreamer’s undergraduate scholaship is available to Nebraska residents who meet the requirements for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). THE DACA program, introduced by the Obama Administration in 2012, offers temporary protection from deportation for eligible immigrants who were brought to the U.S as children.
The department also stated that the HDR Scholarship priorotizes applicants from underrepresented minority groups.
“Neither the Trump Administration’s America First Policies nor the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s prohibition on national origin discrimination permit universities to deny our fellow citizens the opportunity to compete for scholarships because they were born in the United States,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor in a press release.
UNO spokesperson Sam Peshek said the university has no comment on the specifics of the investigation but confirmed it will cooperate with the DOE.
“We continually evaluate our scholarships to ensure compliance with state and federal law,” he said.
Following the filing of the complaint, the Dreamer’s Pathway Scholarship has been taken down from UNO’s website, with links now redirecting to the Foward Together Scholarship for Nebraska residents.
The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights has also launched investigations into the University of Louisville, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University.
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