Lawsuit alleges University of Oklahoma discriminated against white students through financial aid
Three students are suing the University of Oklahoma over allegedly anti-white discrimination within their financial aid practices.
Each student claims that they would have earned more financial assistance from the university had they not been white.
Three students are suing the University of Oklahoma over allegedly anti-white discrimination within their financial aid practices.
Each student claims that they would have earned more financial assistance from the university had they not been white.
According to this class-action lawsuit filed on May 15, “racial preferences continue to exist at the University of Oklahoma. Rather than determining who to admit based on their race, the University of Oklahoma determines how much financial aid it gives to students based on their race.”
The lawsuit cites the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, claiming that awarding scholarships on the basis of race is unlawful.
[RELATED: Students sue University of Oklahoma, say school offers financial aid based on race]
“Based on the University of Oklahoma’s published enrollment data and the financial-aid data that it reported to the Department of Education from 2009 to 2022, statistical analysis shows that black students receive more institutional grant aid from the University of Oklahoma than other students, even when controlling to the extent possible for factors such as family income,” the document states.
The lawsuit claims that efforts by the school to “obscure the extent to which it has engaged in race-based decision making” have taken place, adding that “the University of Oklahoma has recently deleted many webpages with information about its diversity and race-based programs.”
The suit indicates that racial discrimination may extend beyond financial aid at the university. For instance, the school is dedicated to “Black Excellence,” and holds race-based events such as a “Welcome Black Weekend”, a “Black Excellence Ceremony.”
Plaintiff lawyer David Thompson told Campus Reform that “we are determined to ensure that the University of Oklahoma fully complies with the Constitution’s promise of equal protection under the law, which guarantees that students will not be discriminated against on the basis of race.”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Oklahoma and all three plaintiffs for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
