Pennsylvania medical school hit with civil rights complaint over allegedly discriminatory scholarships
Equal Protection Project filed civil rights complaint alleging Thomas Jefferson University medical school scholarships discriminate by race.
Pennsylvania's Thomas Jefferson University and its Sidney Kimmel Medical College are facing allegations that several scholarship programs discriminate based on race, according to a newly filed federal civil rights complaint.
On Thursday, the Equal Protection Project filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, alleging that Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) and its Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC) operate or promote five scholarship programs that unlawfully discriminate based on race, color and/or national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.
The complaint argues that because TJU receives federal funding, including grants from the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, the university is subject to federal civil rights laws governing recipients of federal funds.
The complaint lists the Jackson-Minton Scholarship, Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells Scholarship, Visiting Medical Student Diversity Scholarship, Otolaryngology Research Fellowship Scholarship and the Visiting Medical Student Scholarship for Inclusive Excellence as scholarships it alleges are unlawfully discriminatory and violate Title VI, the Affordable Care Act, Pennsylvania nondiscrimination statutes and TJU's own policies.
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Citing the Supreme Court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, the EPP argues that race-based programs in education should be put under the strictest scrutiny.
"Equal access to medical education and training should be based on individual merit, qualifications, and potential to serve patients — not racial or ethnic group membership," the complaint states. "Discriminatory practices undermine public trust in medicine, fairness, and the integrity of the healthcare workforce undermining HHS’s nondiscrimination requirements and policy goals."
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The Jackson-Minton scholarship is intended to benefit Black male students, and the Fells scholarship was developed for transgender or gender "nonconforming" BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students at the university, according to the TJU website.
Some scholarships are open to all qualified applicants, but the university specifically advertises prioritizing or seeking students from racially diverse backgrounds. The Visiting Medical Student Scholarship for Inclusive Excellence says it is open to all qualified students, including those "who identify as African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, LGBTQ or from a disadvantaged background." Similarly, the Otolaryngology Research Fellowship is available to qualified students, but the university advertises awarding one scholarship a year to a research fellow "who self-identifies as being from a group historically underrepresented in medicine."
The university website for the Visiting Medical Student Diversity Scholarship also describes the goal of the program as being to "increase the recruitment of diverse trainees into the specialty of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation" and to support "those who identify as an "Underrepresented Minority."
The EPP argues these scholarships may be open to all but, at the same time, they identify eligibility based on certain racial and ethnic groups.
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"The scholarships that claim to be open to all but simultaneously identify eligibility to certain racial and ethnic groups signal to students not identified that they are not eligible," the EPP argued. "Here, TJU’s and SKMC’s racial and ethnic signaling is not subtle, but even subtle messaging can convey discriminatory preferences."
The Equal Protection Project is asking the OCR to open an investigation into TJU and SKMC and "impose whatever remedial relief is necessary," including fines, termination of financial assistance and/or referring the case to the Department of Justice, to address the alleged violations. The complaint also asks the DHHS to open a formal investigation and impose remedial relief.
"Discrimination in an institution devoted to training health professionals is extremely serious," William A. Jacobson, President and Founder, Equal Protection Project, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "HHS, which provides funding, has a duty to ensure that federal funding is not used to support – directly or indirectly – practices that violate the civil rights law."
"Discrimination based on race or ethnicity at institutions receiving federal funding is unlawful regardless of which group is targeted or benefits," he added.
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Thomas Jefferson University told Fox News Digital it "has not received notice of a complaint or pending investigation."
On June 9, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into the City University of New York following a complaint filed by The Equal Protection Project in May. The investigation was opened after reports that the CUNY Black Male Initiative program discriminates based on race in violation of Title VI.
