A civil rights organization has lodged a formal complaint against the University of Nebraska Omaha, alleging that the institution's scholarship offerings discriminate against American citizens.
The complaint, filed by the Equal Protection Project, argues that the university's Dreamers Pathway Scholarship Program, which is exclusively available to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients or those eligible for DACA, constitutes national origin discrimination.
Cornell professor William Jacobson, who founded the Equal Protection Project, stated, "Providing a scholarship limited to DACA or DACA-eligible students is national origin discrimination." He further explained, "Because DACA only applies to persons born outside the United States who meet certain additional criteria, restricting scholarship eligibility to DACA recipients constitutes discrimination based on national origin and violates Title VI. The national origin which is the subject of discrimination is American-born students."
As reported by Fox News, the DACA program was initiated by President Barack Obama to offer temporary deportation relief and work permits to illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. The complaint contends that the university's scholarship program infringes upon Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits federally funded educational institutions from engaging in discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
The University of Nebraska Omaha's website outlines that the Dreamers Pathway Scholarship is available to DACA or DACA-eligible students who are Nebraska residents pursuing an undergraduate degree at the university. Recipients of this scholarship can receive full tuition, fees, and book coverage for up to five years, or three years for transfer students. Applicants must also have graduated from a Nebraska high school.
Jacobson expressed concern over the existence of such scholarships at a prominent university, stating, "That race- and national-origin-based discriminatory scholarships exist at a major university is shocking and reflects how Critical Race Theory and its offshoots like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, are deeply embedded in the campus culture." He emphasized the need for higher education to prioritize the "inherent worth and dignity of every student rather than categorizing students based on identity groups."
The complaint also targets the university's HDR scholarships, which allegedly violate Title VI by giving preference to underrepresented minority students, although this is not the sole criterion for awarding the scholarship. The complaint argues that as a public university, UNO's administration of these scholarships contravenes the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. It cites the Supreme Court's stance in Students for Fair Admissions, which underscores the necessity of eliminating all forms of racial discrimination to ensure equal protection.
Jacobson revealed that his organization has initiated legal actions against approximately 100 institutions, challenging over 400 scholarships and programs deemed discriminatory. Despite efforts to obtain a response from the University of Nebraska Omaha, Fox News Digital reported that the university has not yet provided a comment on the matter.
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