Bowling Green State University has joined other state institutions of higher education putting a hold on race-based scholarships.
According to a statement from the university, it is “reviewing all scholarship criteria to ensure compliance with the law.”
University officials are looking at future steps, the statement continued.
The decision, according to the Ohio Capital Journal, comes after Attorney General Dave Yost made comments in a call with university officials.
According to the Capital Journal, Yost’s spokesperson Bethany McCorkle wrote in an email to the news outlet: “What was said in response to a question was after the recent Supreme Court decision, scholarships will need to be looked at to ensure compliance with the law. Although the Court did not expressly prohibit race-based scholarships, it indicated that ‘eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.’ Race-based scholarships discriminate on the basis of race in awarding benefits. Therefore, it would follow that such programs are unconstitutional.”
[READ OCJ STORY: At least seven Ohio universities are reviewing race-based scholarships after Supreme Court ruling]
This came after Yost sent a letter to universities telling them they must “immediately cease considering race when making admissions decisions.” He added his office would not defend any institution that did not follow that guidance.
All this is in a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that Harvard and University North Carolina violated the equal protections clause of the 14th Amendment by using race as a factor in applications.
The Harvard Supreme Court decision is being “weaponized to intimidate and create fear,” Sara Kilpatrick, executive director of the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors, told Capital Journal reporter Megan Henry.
“We obviously disagree with the Harvard decision, and we also disagree with how the Attorney General is trying to extrapolate it to apply to virtually anything that touches race,” she said. “We hope that institutions are not being pushed into a direction that ultimately will harm students.”
If race-based scholarships are removed from universities, Kilpatrick said it could prevent Ohio students from earning degrees.
“This is a dangerous slippery slope, and they should be cautious about how far they’re trying to push this,” she said. “This will undoubtedly dry up desperately needed revenue streams for institutions.”
(Story based on reporting by Ohio Capital Journal and BG Independent News.)
