Justice Department investigates College of William & Mary over alleged ‘race-based’ scholarships.
The College of William & Mary is under federal investigation this week over a series of scholarships and student programs that the U.S. Department of Justice says may be racially discriminatory.
Announced Monday, the investigation focuses, in part, on the Virginia public college’s “W&M Scholars” program, “which grants scholarships covering the ‘full cost of in-state tuition and fees’ to ‘academically distinguished students,’” the Washington Examiner reports.
Students who express an “interest in diverse people and perspectives” receive “top consideration” for the first-year scholarship, according to a department news release.
The department is investigating whether these and other scholarships and programs “include racial criteria that violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.”
“Providing any educational benefits, including recruitment, scholarships, and support services, based on race violates the civil rights of all Americans,” the department stated in its letter to the college.
Another area of the investigation is the Holmes Scholars program for doctoral students. It offers mentorship, professional development, and career resources to “future education leaders of color,” according to the news release.
The investigation includes several other programs as well, the Examiner reports:
Other programs at the College of William and Mary also raised concerns for the DOJ including the Martha L. Muguira Fellowship which gave “preference” to Latino and Hispanic women, the Lemon Legal Scholars Program which allegedly was “exclusively earmarked for graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the “Reaching Back Scholarship” which gave a “preference” to applicants from HBCU schools as well as those “who contribute to the diversity” of W&M Law.
“Awarding scholarships or offering coveted opportunities to students based on the color of their skin is illegal and offends the guarantees of our color-blind Constitution,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated in the news release.
The department also stated that although the programs are under investigation, it “has not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation.”
The college media relations office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The College Fix, asking for its response to the investigation.
