Civil Rights Complaint Filed After University Restricts Summer Program to Non-White Applicants
A public university is the target of a civil rights complaint over an internship program that clearly says no whites need apply.
The complaint was filed Friday by the Equal Protection Project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation against the University of Minnesota and its Multicultural Summer Research Opportunities Program.
“The U. Minnesota segregated summer program is inexcusable, and it’s shocking that a major university would so openly make educational opportunities open only to students of a certain skin color,” said William Jacobson, president of the Equal Protection Project, according to Fox News.
“EqualProtect.org calls on the university immediately to open up the summer program to students of all races, ethnicities, and skin colors,” he said.
According to the college’s website, the program is “an intensive 10 week summer program in which undergraduate students of color work full-time with a faculty mentor on a research project. The cohort-based program includes a series of seminars preparing students for graduate school and developing research skills.”
Students are paid $6,000 for the summer.
As noted in the complaint posted on Fox News, students must complete demographic information to be considered.
“There is no good form of racial discrimination. Depriving white students of educational opportunities does not promote racial or any other form of justice. U. Minnesota’s conduct is inexcusable,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson founded the project in February to oppose any form of racial discrimination.
“Our highest ideal as a society is enshrined in the Constitution, the 14th Amendment in federal, state and local law, which is you do not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity. And we’re seeing that, unfortunately, under the concept of equity, that there is outright discrimination on the basis of race,” he said then, according to Fox News.
The complaint says the case must be investigated with the outcomes of fines, withholding of federal funding or even prosecution.
Jacobson told Fox that taxpayer dollars should not fund discriminatory practices.
“We urge the U.S. Department of Education to fully investigate how pervasive segregationist practices are at U. Minnesota. Federal funding should not be used to promote educational opportunities restricted by skin color. Federal funding for U. Minnesota needs to be re-evaluated,” he said.
Jacobson said racism is racism, regardless of who is excluded.
“We all thought racial segregation in education as government policy ended with Brown v. Board of Education, but unfortunately it has been reborn under the umbrella of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” Jacobson said.
“Whatever you call it, it’s immoral and illegal, and U. Minnesota needs to stop treating students differently based on skin color.”
“Unfortunately, U. Minnesota appears to think that pitting students against each other based on race by making educational opportunities available based on skin color is the answer, but that just compounds the problems.”
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