But legal scholar says problems remain
A Christian university in Minnesota made some edits to its “George Floyd Memorial Scholarship,” which is only open to black students.
But the edits to the criteria do not fix the legal problems, according to the attorney who filed a federal complaint with the Department of Education for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The George Floyd Scholarship, created in 2020, used to, and appears to still, exclude students who are not black.
Only applicants who are “Black or African American, that is, a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa,” can apply for the scholarship, according to archived copies.
The scholarship has removed that portion under the eligibility section. In some places it also removed references to the scholarship being for black students after The College Fix sent inquiries on Wednesday, July 10.
However, the scholarship application form still asks students if they “identify as being a student [of] African descent (Black, African American, African, or Mixed).”
The introductory paragraph on application information page used to read:
The George Floyd Memorial Scholarship provides a way to invest in a new generation of young Black Americans, poised and ready to be leaders in our community and our nation. We believe that the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship will enable North Central University to increase our number of Black students who will impact the learning environment in a positive manner. Diversifying our learning environment is key to being a University that looks and acts like Heaven.
That language remained on the website until at least Wednesday morning. The Fix contacted North Central on Wednesday and asked when the “criteria” had been changed, if the school planned to make other wording changes, and if it had reviewed the federal civil rights complaint or heard from the Department of Education.
Some time since then and Friday morning, the university made changes to the introductory paragraph. The Fix has checked the scholarship page every few weeks for updates.
It now reads:
NCU proudly presents the Floyd Scholarship, a source of support for students dedicated to fostering social change, restorative justice, and Biblical equality. Designed to empower students with a passion for Biblical justice and community involvement, the NCU Scholarship provides a lasting resource for those driven to pursue student leadership roles at NCU that contribute to a community of belonging.
We seek applicants who bring unique perspectives and experiences, enriching the NCU community with dedication to participation within campus multicultural student organizations, advocating for Biblical principles of justice, expanding opportunities for marginalized communities, and fostering understanding across racial and ethnic lines.
We are committed to nurturing the next generation of diverse leaders who will drive positive change in our community and around the world.
However, the language about investing in “young Black Americans” remains still on the website as of Friday morning.
The actual scholarship application form still includes the language.
A brief history of the scholarship contains similar language under a website page called “Floyd Scholarship Fund.” The page leads students to apply for the scholarship.
Erica Hanson, the director of marketing and communications, did not respond to another email Friday that asked if the website would be further edited.
Professor William Jacobson, who filed the federal civil rights complaint through his Equal Protection Project, criticized the university for not going further.
“We are pleased that after our civil rights complaint North Central has removed explicit racial eligibility barriers to the George Floyd Scholarship, but North Central continues to signal that the scholarship is intended only for black students,” Jacobson told The Fix via email.
“Verbiage such as ‘[t]he Floyd Scholarship provides a way to invest in a new generation of young Black Americans’ and the stated goal ‘to increase our number of Black students’ is a strong and unmistakable signal that the racial barriers continue to exist,” the Cornell University law professor said.
“Such clear racial signals naturally would dissuade students who are not black from applying,” he said. “North Central needs to remove racial eligibility barriers in practice and completely, not just on the application form.”
NCU has not said anything to Jacobson since he filed the complaint in March.
The Department of Education has also not given any updates on his complaint beyond “routine filing communications,” according to Jacobson.
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