Federal Complaint Targets WKU Scholarships for Alleged Discrimination

Western Kentucky University (WKU) is facing a federal civil rights complaint over a scholarship program that's being called racially discriminatory. The Equal Protection Project (EPP) of the Legal Insurrection Foundation recently filed this complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

What's the Issue?

The EPP is concerned about two WKU scholarships: the WKU Athletics Minority Fellowship (AMF) and the WKU Distinguished Minority Fellowship (DMF). According to the EPP, these scholarships are only open to non-white students.

Legal Basis for Complaint

The EPP argues that WKU's promotion of these scholarships violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. They refer to a recent Supreme Court ruling that emphasized the importance of eliminating all racial discrimination.

Scholarship Details

The AMF aims to provide undergraduate scholarships in the 2023-2024 school year for students interested in careers related to collegiate athletics. Recipients get a $1,000 scholarship per semester. To qualify, applicants must identify as an underrepresented ethnic minority, including Black, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American.

The DMF scholarship covers tuition costs for a primary graduate degree, along with a stipend of $15,000 per academic year. Eligible students must have minority status, which includes being African American, Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, having two or more races, or being Hispanic/Latino.

Strong Words from EPP Founder

EPP founder William A. Jacobson emphasized, "WKU should know better than to run education and career programs that exclude students based on race. Such blatant discrimination has always been unlawful, and the recent Supreme Court ruling makes it crystal clear."

Awaiting WKU's Response

Fox News Digital has reached out to WKU for their response to the complaint.

Similar Complaint Elsewhere

It's worth noting that the EPP filed a similar complaint against the University of Nebraska-Lincoln last month regarding a race-exclusive residency program for film students.

We'll keep an eye on how this complaint unfolds.