Slippery Rock University, 3 other Pa. schools face civil rights complaint
Slippery Rock University, along with three other Pennsylvania universities, was targeted by a federal civil rights complaint this week from the Equal Protection Project, a conservative advocacy group that alleges the schools discriminate against white and Asian students by only allowing minority students to enter its programs.
The Equal Protection Project, based out of Rhode Island, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Tuesday, Jan. 28, against the Keystone Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. The alliance comprises SRU, East Stroudsburg University, Millersville University and West Chester University.
The alliance aims to boost minority participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Slippery Rock University allows students majoring in biology, math, physics and engineering to apply for the alliance’s two-week bridge program or summer research program.
Ken Bach, head director of the university’s communications, told the Butler Eagle the school is aware of the project’s letter to the Department of Education and will wait to hear from the department.
The university said it was awarded a National Science Foundation grant for the fall 2023, which funded the minority program. The university said the program allowed several schools within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education “to provide STEM learning opportunities in accordance with the grant and federal guidelines.”
“Slippery Rock is a first-choice regional public university, and remains committed to access, opportunities and excellence in STEM coursework. It is a cornerstone of our mission ‘to educate learners and foster an environment of belonging while ensuring the economic mobility for our students and our region’s workforce,’” according to the university.
According to the complaint, the minority programs are only available to “underrepresented minorities,” and are not available to white or Asian students. The application form lists only African American, Hispanic-American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Native Pacific Islander, or two or more of the above.
The project, an offshoot of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, asked the Department of Education to impose remedies, such as imposing fines or withholding all federal funding from the four schools involved.
The complaint alleges that, by making its programs open only to students of minority status, the alliance is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act — which prohibits intentional discrimination based on race, color, or nationality — as well as the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
“It is no defense that the recipient of federal funding discriminates in order to advance a benign ‘intention’ or ‘motivation,’” reads the complaint. “Restricting eligibility for these programs based on race and skin color serves no legitimate governmental purpose.”
The Equal Protection Project also has filed complaints against various universities across the country in past weeks and months, for issues such as race-based scholarships and creating programs meant for racial and ethnic minorities.
Eagle staff writer Zach Zimmerman contributed to this report.
