University of Richmond scholarships at center of federal civil rights complaint

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The University of Richmond (UR) is facing a federal civil rights complaint that alleges some of its scholarships violate federal law by unlawfully discriminating based on race, national origin and sex.

The complaint, filed on Friday, Aug. 22, by the Equal Protection Project, claims that at least three scholarships run by the university conflict with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Those laws prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin and sex in federally funded programs.

According to the filing, the scholarships include:

• VSCPA Scholarship – restricted to “a minority student with need” and a 3.0 GPA.
• Business Partnership Scholarship – preference given to “minority” students from the Richmond area, particularly Virginians.
• Law Women’s Centennial Scholarship – established to honor the law school’s first female graduate, which the filing claims signals a preference for women and discourages male applicants.

Two of the scholarships named in the complaint are open only to minority students, something the group said is exclusionary. The third, the Law Women’s Centennial Scholarship, is geared toward female students.

“We examined these scholarships, we examined what was on the school’s website about them, and our legal analysis was that these do violate the Civil Rights Act,” said William Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project.

Jacobson argues that the term “minority” is widely interpreted to mean nonwhite students and could dissuade others from applying. He said the women’s scholarship also signals to male students that they are not eligible.

“The university has rules which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin and sex," Jacobson said. "And so we’re not asking the university to do anything it hasn’t already committed to do."

The Equal Protection Project is calling on the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to open an investigation.

In a statement to 8News, a UR spokesperson said the school has not received any communication from the Office for Civil Rights.“We have robust non-discrimination policies and are committed to adhering to all federal civil rights law,” the spokesperson said.

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights can review the allegations and decide whether to open an investigation. If violations are found, the university could be required to make changes to its policies to remain in compliance with federal law.