You’d think that by now universities would know they can’t continue racially exclusive scholarships, but that notion apparently hasn’t reached Wisconsin, yet.
An article in today’s Badger Herald notes:
The Lawton Undergrad Grant is available to any UW system student who is a Wisconsin resident, has completed 24 or more credits, is statutorily designated and self-identified as an African American, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, or Southeast Asian student, has financial need for the grant, is in good academic standing and making satisfactory academic progress, and is enrolled for a minimum of six or more credits. It gives $12,000 or eight semesters of funding to recipients and provided 292 Madison students with a total of $736,141 in 2003, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Joelle Parks, the author of the article, concludes:
The requirement does not ask for any record as to participation in cultural activities or knowledge of history, so any student with one of the named ethnicities is eligible. Sadly, there are some students, though not all, who receive a free ride on their ancestors in place of someone without the required ethnicity….
It is ironic that a university so devoted to the elimination of stereotypes and discrimination can allow a scholarship whose focus is just that. These need-based grants should recognize academic merit instead of ethnic origin. Not only is this wrong, it is illegal. Wisconsin statutes governing the University of Wisconsin System Ch. 36.12 states that “no student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or be discriminated against in any service, program, course … because of the student’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, … .”
Ms. Parks is only a sophomore, but she here demonstrates more intelligence, wisdom, and a deeper sense of fairness than can be found collectively among all the governors of the University of Wisconsin system or in its general counsel’s office.
