The U.S. Department of Education announced this week that it will stop awarding discretionary grants to a range of Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) programs over concerns that the funding is unconstitutional because it is tied to racial and ethnic quotas.
The decision follows a determination by the U.S. Solicitor General in July that Hispanic-Serving Institution programs “violate the equal-protection component of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause,” and that the Department of Justice would not defend them in ongoing litigation.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, “Discrimination based upon race or ethnicity has no place in the United States. To further our commitment to ending discrimination in all forms across federally supported programs, the Department will no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas.”
In Alabama, state campuses that have previously received or operated projects under the affected categories include the University of West Alabama, Faulkner University and Wallace State Community College under PBI, and Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University under MSEIP.
HBCU grants under Title III-B were not listed among the halted programs, while the department said it is still reviewing legal issues around the remaining mandatory MSI funds.
“Diversity is not merely the presence of a skin color. Stereotyping an individual based on immutable characteristics diminishes the full picture of that person’s life and contributions, including their character, resiliency, and merit,” McMahon added.
“The Department looks forward to working with Congress to reenvision these programs to support institutions that serve underprepared or under-resourced students without relying on race quotas and will continue fighting to ensure that students are judged as individuals, not prejudged by their membership of a racial group.”
According to the Department, officials will reprogram the money into other initiatives that do not include racial or ethnic quotas.
While discretionary programs will be cut, they noted that about $132 million in mandatory funding, appropriated by Congress, will still be distributed to certain MSI programs.
This includes programs under Title III Part F and Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions in STEM. However, the Department said it “continues to consider the underlying legal issues associated with the mandatory funding mechanism in these programs.”
The Department said all current grant recipients and new applicants will be notified of the change.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
