Buy:B.A.
02-09-06, 11:00 AM
SIU agrees to open contested graduate fellowships to all
By Kavita Kumar
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Wednesday, Feb. 08 2006
After months of closed-door negotiations to avoid a lawsuit, Southern Illinois
University agreed on Wednesday to open its paid graduate fellowships for
minorities and women to people of any race or gender.
The Justice Department threatened to sue the university in November, claiming
that three of the school's fellowships violated Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex,
national origin or religion.
The federal lawsuit and the accompanying consent decree resolving the issue
were filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Benton, Ill., the university
said.
Under the agreement unanimously approved by the SIU Board of Trustees, the 28
students who currently have such fellowships at the Carbondale campus will not
be affected.
At a news conference Wednesday, SIU President Glenn Poshard said that after
consulting the university's lawyers and outside counsel, "we seriously doubt we
could win a case with the Department of Justice on those programs."
Instead of fighting a lawsuit, Poshard said the school would focus on all of
its graduate assistance programs in which minorities make up single-digit
percentages. He noted that the university is one of the leaders in the state in
its graduation of minority students. In the fall of 2005, minorities made up
about 14 percent of its 4,071 graduate students, he said.
Poshard announced that he was creating task forces at both campuses to do a
thorough analysis of its graduate assistance programs to make sure they were
not hampering the participation of minorities or women. Furthermore, they will
devise plans with timetables and accountability built into them to increase
diversity, he said.
The Proactive Recruitment of Multicultural Professionals for Tomorrow
fellowship, which was aimed at minorities, and the Graduate Dean's fellowship,
which was for women and minorities, are funded by the university. Since 2000,
the recruitment fellowship has aided 78 students, and the dean's fellowship has
helped 27 students. New criteria will open them to people of any race and
gender.
The other minority fellowship, the Bridge to Doctorate program, which is run by
the National Science Foundation, has had 27 recipients in the last few years.
But this program will not return to SIUC in the fall because it rotates among
universities.
The consent decree will be in place for two years and requires that the school
report every six months on various aspects of all paid fellowship positions.
The SIUC Faculty Senate was among the campus groups that passed resolutions in
the past few months to show support for the fellowships. Rob Benford, the
group's president, said Wednesday that he has mixed feelings about the
settlement.
"On the one hand, I'm pleased we're going to move forward, that this is behind
us," he said, adding that he also welcomed the commitment to increasing
diversity. "What I'm concerned about is that I thought we gave up too quickly."
Kara Scott, a 25-year-old student in the Bridge to the Doctorate program, said
she felt the university's decision was well-thought out.
"I feel that the fellowships have a mission," she said. "There's an intent
behind it to prepare minorities and to educate minorities. Deciding to change
the criteria is not going to change that mission, and the university stands
behind that intent."
Across the country, many universities have done away with minority-based
scholarship programs, especially after two U.S. Supreme Court cases in 2003
regarding affirmative action in which the justices ruled that race can be one
factor, but not the only factor that universities use in admissions.
St. Louis University and Washington University are among the schools that have
opened their racially exclusive scholarships in the last few years to people of
all races.
_____________________________________________________________________________
:up:
As someone who opposes gender/race being considered (in any form) on any kind of application - I like this move.
By Kavita Kumar
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Wednesday, Feb. 08 2006
After months of closed-door negotiations to avoid a lawsuit, Southern Illinois
University agreed on Wednesday to open its paid graduate fellowships for
minorities and women to people of any race or gender.
The Justice Department threatened to sue the university in November, claiming
that three of the school's fellowships violated Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex,
national origin or religion.
The federal lawsuit and the accompanying consent decree resolving the issue
were filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Benton, Ill., the university
said.
Under the agreement unanimously approved by the SIU Board of Trustees, the 28
students who currently have such fellowships at the Carbondale campus will not
be affected.
At a news conference Wednesday, SIU President Glenn Poshard said that after
consulting the university's lawyers and outside counsel, "we seriously doubt we
could win a case with the Department of Justice on those programs."
Instead of fighting a lawsuit, Poshard said the school would focus on all of
its graduate assistance programs in which minorities make up single-digit
percentages. He noted that the university is one of the leaders in the state in
its graduation of minority students. In the fall of 2005, minorities made up
about 14 percent of its 4,071 graduate students, he said.
Poshard announced that he was creating task forces at both campuses to do a
thorough analysis of its graduate assistance programs to make sure they were
not hampering the participation of minorities or women. Furthermore, they will
devise plans with timetables and accountability built into them to increase
diversity, he said.
The Proactive Recruitment of Multicultural Professionals for Tomorrow
fellowship, which was aimed at minorities, and the Graduate Dean's fellowship,
which was for women and minorities, are funded by the university. Since 2000,
the recruitment fellowship has aided 78 students, and the dean's fellowship has
helped 27 students. New criteria will open them to people of any race and
gender.
The other minority fellowship, the Bridge to Doctorate program, which is run by
the National Science Foundation, has had 27 recipients in the last few years.
But this program will not return to SIUC in the fall because it rotates among
universities.
The consent decree will be in place for two years and requires that the school
report every six months on various aspects of all paid fellowship positions.
The SIUC Faculty Senate was among the campus groups that passed resolutions in
the past few months to show support for the fellowships. Rob Benford, the
group's president, said Wednesday that he has mixed feelings about the
settlement.
"On the one hand, I'm pleased we're going to move forward, that this is behind
us," he said, adding that he also welcomed the commitment to increasing
diversity. "What I'm concerned about is that I thought we gave up too quickly."
Kara Scott, a 25-year-old student in the Bridge to the Doctorate program, said
she felt the university's decision was well-thought out.
"I feel that the fellowships have a mission," she said. "There's an intent
behind it to prepare minorities and to educate minorities. Deciding to change
the criteria is not going to change that mission, and the university stands
behind that intent."
Across the country, many universities have done away with minority-based
scholarship programs, especially after two U.S. Supreme Court cases in 2003
regarding affirmative action in which the justices ruled that race can be one
factor, but not the only factor that universities use in admissions.
St. Louis University and Washington University are among the schools that have
opened their racially exclusive scholarships in the last few years to people of
all races.
_____________________________________________________________________________
:up:
As someone who opposes gender/race being considered (in any form) on any kind of application - I like this move.