A nonprofit organization has filed a civil rights complaint against the University of Virginia (UVA), arguing that its supposedly BIPOC-only mentoring program is racist toward white students.
The Equal Protection Project (EPP) alleged that UVA created, sponsored and promoted “a racially discriminatory program called the BIPOC Alumni-Student Mentoring Program,” in an Oct. 1 complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education.
BIPOC stands for “black, indigenous, people of color,” and the complaint accused the public university of excluding white students from the mentoring program.
According to PPE's complaint, the program violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race.
It turned out that UVA softened the language on its website about the program to make it appear more inclusive of white people, although it is unclear whether the university did so in reaction to the civil rights call.
Statue of Thomas Jefferson in front of the Rotunda on the campus of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
As of October 2, the web page dedicated to the mentoring program made no mention of the fact that it was open to all students, regardless of race.
“The BIPOC Alumni Mentoring Program provides up to 25 BIPOC undergraduate students at EHD each fall with one-on-one guidance and support from alumni educators as they navigate the early stages of their program and/or career,” from according to a version of the page archived online.
“The goal of the program is to improve the experiences, career opportunities, and retention of BIPOC undergraduate students by pairing these students with alumni mentors,” he continued.
But days later, the page was edited, saying the program “provides up to 25 EHD graduate students each fall with one-on-one mentoring and support from alumni educators as they navigate the early stages of their program and/or career.” This program was created with BIPOC students in mind.
The description also added: “The program is open to mentors and mentees of all races, ethnicities, and national origins.”
Oct. 2 archived version of UVA page describing BIPOC mentoring program
Pictured: The web page on Wednesday, with the edits outlined in red and yellow
A UVA spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the university has not yet received the EPP's complaint and could not comment. Instead, the spokesperson provided a link to the school's policy on non-discrimination and equal opportunity.
The PPE said the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has the power and obligation to investigate UVA's “role in the creation, promotion, and administration of this program and to impose any necessary corrective action to hold it accountable for this unlawful conduct.” ”.
Punishments could include fines, suspension or termination of federal financial assistance to the university or referral of the case to the Department of Justice, according to the complaint.
Cornell law professor William A. Jacobson founded the EPP, which is a project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation.
Cornell law professor William A. Jacobson (pictured) founded the EPP
The PPE is dedicated to “the fair treatment of all people, regardless of race or ethnicity”, and is of the opinion that “there is no “good” form of racism, according to its opinion. website.
The organization filed similar complaints against six New York medical schools last year, alleging that they discriminated against white and Asian teenagers by facilitating the participation of blacks and others in their introductory courses.
Jacobson told Fox News Digital that the language change on UVA's website is too little too late and an admission of culpability.
“The wording change made by UVA shortly after our complaint was a tacit admission of wrongdoing,” he said.
'These wording changes, however, do not fully resolve the issue because UVA still signals that the program was “created with BIPOC students in mind.” This is a whistleblower that only BIPOC students are encouraged to apply and that non-BIPOC students – i.e. white students – are not welcome,” he continued.
'UVA needs to make the program completely open and welcoming to all students, regardless of race, instead of playing word games.'
