The College Fix

Changed scholarship language to include white applicants

The Medical University of South Carolina revised several programs and scholarships after the Department of Education opened an investigation.

The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights informed Mark Perry, a fellow with Do No Harm and a former University of Michigan Flint professor, of the update to his complaint letter. The investigation centered around possible violations of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race for higher education institutions that receive federal funding.

The resolution comes after the medical school informed OCR in February that it would open its programs to all students “regardless of race” and change the language to reflect this.

“For each of these scholarships, the Complainant was unable to provide, nor was OCR otherwise able to find, examples of students who were or are currently being excluded from these scholarships because of their race,” the letter stated.

“Do No Harm is pleased that The University of South Carolina School of Medicine chose to eliminate its discriminatory and unlawful scholarships,” Laura Morgan with Do No Harm told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “This decision shows that they are well aware that adopting racially discriminatory admissions practices under the guise of inclusivity is not only lowering standards in the name of diversity, but is in violation of federal law.”

Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, the leader of Do No Harm, previously told The Fix why “diversity” in medicine is a problem. “Those who argue for the importance of diversity in the medical workforce and in admission to medical school place the interests of students and practitioners, particularly minorities, above the interest of patients,” he said.

This is the latest example of a university revising its programs in the face of a federal investigation. For example, the University of Louisville and Howard University amended an exclusionary business program in May 2022 after the DOE launched an investigation.

Yum! Brands, which owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC, operated a franchise owner training and business degree initiative with the two universities.

Prior to the federal complaint Professor Mark Perry, the Yum! Franchise Accelerator MBA advertised itself as open to “underrepresented people of color and women.” The company will also clarify that the fellowship is open to all backgrounds in its own marketing materials, The College Fix previously reported.

MORE: Public university provides faculty of color grant money to gain tenure

IMAGE: Medical University of South Carolina

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