EMMA PIRHALA / NEWS EDITOR

USD recently joined the growing list of California universities under attack for DEI initiatives and scholarship offerings. In February, a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights was filed against the University by the conservative Legal Insurrection Foundation (LIF).

The complaint claims that USD’s scholarship offerings are discriminatory towards white students and violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The organization specifically names the Filipino Ugnayan Student Organization (FUSO) Alumni Network Scholarship, Comité México Scholarship, Black Alumni Network Scholarship, Latino Alumni Network Scholarship, Augusto Boal Endowed Scholarship and the Gwendolyn Brooks Endowed Scholarship for the Study of the Humanities. 

“These scholarship programs set up unequal standards of eligibility so that students similarly situated are treated differently based on race and ethnicity, in clear violation of Title VI,” the complaint stated. 

Although the scholarships do not have a requirement to be of a certain race, there is a preference for recipients to be a certain race. 

“Open to all undergraduate and graduate students who have worked to better the experience of USD’s African American community,” the Black Alumni Scholarship page on the Alumni Association states. “Preference to an African – American student.”

The complaining organization was founded in 2008 by William A. Jacobson, a law professor at Cornell University. In an interview to Fox News Digital, Jacobson expressed his disdain for USD’s scholarship programs, in which he incorrectly referred to the University as SDU. 

“SDU should know better than to run scholarships that exclude students based on race, color or ethnicity,” Jacobson said. “Where were the administrators and staff whose jobs supposedly are devoted to preventing discrimination? Why was there no intervention to uphold the legally required equal access to education?”

The USD Vista reached out to the University’s media relations department to learn how administrators are handling the complaint.

“The University of San Diego complies with all local, state and national laws and remains firmly committed to its mission, vision and core values,” a statement made on behalf of the University said. “Our admission process and scholarship awards are no exception. We will continue to monitor any changes to laws or regulations and adjust programs and protocols as required. Our goal is to ensure all members of our university community are able to thrive in every dimension of their lives.”

Since the complaint has been filed with the Department of Education, they will now have time to review the evidence and launch an investigation if needed. However, at this time, there is no information available regarding the status of the complaint.

Webpages on the USD site that referenced the scholarships have been removed following the complaint. Now, when viewers click on links to the scholarships, they receive a 404–not found message. However, some scholarships are available for viewing on a page connected to the Alumni Association site. The University’s media relations officials further explained why these pages were taken down.

“This does not change our commitment to continue supporting all of our students and faculty on this campus,” the team said.

The complaint is not just affecting the University as a whole, but also individual students. USD senior Aliyah Jones is a recipient of the Black Alumni Network Scholarship and her ability to receive an education is threatened by the complaint. 

Jones is an active presence on campus, serving as the vice president of USD’s National Society of Black Engineers chapter, the Linda Vista Engagement Co-Chair of Mortar Board and as a student-teacher at the Manchester Family Child Development Center. She has dreamed of pursuing a career in engineering since she was young, participating in everything from robotics to drone aviation. As a student from a middle-class background, the $10,000 scholarship helps Jones to pursue her dreams and alleviates financial pressures. 

“These scholarships have not only impacted my path, but also the journeys of so many of my peers helping them with stability within college and attending USD,” Jones said. 

Jones was unaware of the complaint and the removal of the webpages. However, once she learned about the situation, she was compelled to speak up for her fellow students.

“It would be deeply unfortunate to see scholarships that have played such a crucial role in my academic, professional and personal journey be taken away,” Jones said. “Seeing this investment in diversity and inclusion disappear would be a loss for students and USD’s community as a whole.”

Currently, the Alumni Association scholarships are still active. The application deadline will close on April 30. However, there is no longer any information available regarding the CAS linked scholarships. Students continue to wonder what the future holds for these scholarships which create opportunity for many. 

USD holds a yearly scholarship luncheon to show appreciation for donors. Photo courtesy of @usandiego/Flickr