Whites Only Scholarship
Encyclopedia
The Whites Only Scholarship was founded in 2004 by Jason Mattera, a Roger Williams University
student and member of the school Republican Party
. The scholarship
was a proposal to parody and highlight the inequity and unfairness of racial preferences at his school, and on colleges across America, Mattera said..
, The United Negro College Fund, and other groups that are privately funded and ethnically-based that award scholarships to members of their own communities, a position he claims is fully in line with freedom of association. However, he is opposed to federally subsidized institutions creating two classes of persons by imposing different standards on them. Either such universities should compile race-based scholarships for all students, or they should award scholarships on the basis of merit alone, he writes..
Roger Williams University chapter of the College Republicans (RWUCR) was condemned by Rhode Island's Republican Party and were no longer allowed to use a capital "R" in their name . The group still used the "R" in defiance. The student who won the scholarship donated the prize money to those affected by the 2003 Station Nightclub Fire.
A similar scholarship was offered two months later at the University of Missouri
by Colin Kerr , a sophomore who had just retired from running the campus' conservative political magazine. While Kerr consulted with Mattera before the release of the scholarship, he maintains it was independent project planned months before the release of scholarship at Roger Williams. Under the auspices of a group called the Kerr-Otis Partnership for Socio-Economic Scholarships (KOPSES), Kerr echoed similar arguments to that of Mattera, though his scholarship eligibility requirement of 1/8 European-American descent mirrored that of the University of Missouri-Columbia's criteria for minority status.
Furthermore, before the announcement of the scholarship Kerr brokered a deal between both the leaders of the liberal and conservative campus publications to remain neutral in their coverage. The essay contest asked students to describe "how their European-American heritage affected their view of race-based scholarships." An Asian-American student, whose essay detailed a history of discrimination by his Asian relatives for being partially Caucasian, was awarded the scholarship.
Kerr's KOPSES organization eventually received wide multi-party support and later morphed into the American-Coalition for Socio-Economic Scholarships (ACSES), a short-lived national awareness group that lasted for over a year until its original funding ran short of its operating costs.
The trend in more sophisticated race-based scholarship protests continued when a white scholarship was offered at Boston University
, known as the Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship. Similar to the KOPSES scholarship, the CARS scholarship required applicants to have at least 1/4 Caucasian heritage and although it required a photograph, did not specify that the photograph would be used as proof of race (since partially Caucasian applicants can apply).
The Knight litigation commenced on January 15, 1981, when John F. Knight, Jr., and a class of other alumni, students, and faculty members of Alabama State University
(ASU) filed suit in the Middle District of Alabama to attack alleged vestiges of segregation in public higher education. Knight v. Alabama, 900 F. Supp. 272, .280 (N.D. Ala. 1995) ("Knight II")[4]. The "other-race" scholarships created at ASU pursuant to the Court's 1995 Decree in Knight II violate their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment
and , , and .
In Tompkins v. Alabama State University, 97-M-1482-S (N.D. Ala. 1998). lead plaintiff Jessie Tompkins filed this original action Pro Se, he was influence by Hopwood v. Texas
, 78 F.3d 932 (5th Cir. 1996), Hopwood was the first successful legal challenge to a university's affirmative action policy in student admissions since Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
, 438 U.S. 265 (1978).The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama before Myron Herbert Thompson
. Tompkins alleged that he was denied equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the rights guaranteed them by 42 U. S. C. Sections 2000d, 1981 and 1983 of the Civil Rights Act to participate in ASU’s All-White Scholarship Program and to eliminate the race requirements. 40% of Alabama State University academic grants went to whites.
Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University, commonly abbreviated as RWU, is a private, coeducational American liberal arts university located on in Bristol, Rhode Island, above Mt. Hope Bay. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams...
student and member of the school Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. The scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
was a proposal to parody and highlight the inequity and unfairness of racial preferences at his school, and on colleges across America, Mattera said..
Reasons
Mattera argues that he supports private organizations such as the Hispanic College FundHispanic College Fund
Hispanic College Fund, Inc. is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prepare the next generation of Hispanic professionals. It serves primarily high school and college students.The Hispanic College Fund PipelineHigh School Programs:...
, The United Negro College Fund, and other groups that are privately funded and ethnically-based that award scholarships to members of their own communities, a position he claims is fully in line with freedom of association. However, he is opposed to federally subsidized institutions creating two classes of persons by imposing different standards on them. Either such universities should compile race-based scholarships for all students, or they should award scholarships on the basis of merit alone, he writes..
Roger Williams University chapter of the College Republicans (RWUCR) was condemned by Rhode Island's Republican Party and were no longer allowed to use a capital "R" in their name . The group still used the "R" in defiance. The student who won the scholarship donated the prize money to those affected by the 2003 Station Nightclub Fire.
A similar scholarship was offered two months later at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
by Colin Kerr , a sophomore who had just retired from running the campus' conservative political magazine. While Kerr consulted with Mattera before the release of the scholarship, he maintains it was independent project planned months before the release of scholarship at Roger Williams. Under the auspices of a group called the Kerr-Otis Partnership for Socio-Economic Scholarships (KOPSES), Kerr echoed similar arguments to that of Mattera, though his scholarship eligibility requirement of 1/8 European-American descent mirrored that of the University of Missouri-Columbia's criteria for minority status.
Furthermore, before the announcement of the scholarship Kerr brokered a deal between both the leaders of the liberal and conservative campus publications to remain neutral in their coverage. The essay contest asked students to describe "how their European-American heritage affected their view of race-based scholarships." An Asian-American student, whose essay detailed a history of discrimination by his Asian relatives for being partially Caucasian, was awarded the scholarship.
Kerr's KOPSES organization eventually received wide multi-party support and later morphed into the American-Coalition for Socio-Economic Scholarships (ACSES), a short-lived national awareness group that lasted for over a year until its original funding ran short of its operating costs.
The trend in more sophisticated race-based scholarship protests continued when a white scholarship was offered at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, known as the Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship. Similar to the KOPSES scholarship, the CARS scholarship required applicants to have at least 1/4 Caucasian heritage and although it required a photograph, did not specify that the photograph would be used as proof of race (since partially Caucasian applicants can apply).
First scholarship
1994 The first Court Ordered White Only Scholarships was created at Historically Black Colleges in AlabamaThe Knight litigation commenced on January 15, 1981, when John F. Knight, Jr., and a class of other alumni, students, and faculty members of Alabama State University
Alabama State University
Alabama State University, founded 1867, is a historically black university located in Montgomery, Alabama. ASU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- History :...
(ASU) filed suit in the Middle District of Alabama to attack alleged vestiges of segregation in public higher education. Knight v. Alabama, 900 F. Supp. 272, .280 (N.D. Ala. 1995) ("Knight II")[4]. The "other-race" scholarships created at ASU pursuant to the Court's 1995 Decree in Knight II violate their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
and , , and .
In Tompkins v. Alabama State University, 97-M-1482-S (N.D. Ala. 1998). lead plaintiff Jessie Tompkins filed this original action Pro Se, he was influence by Hopwood v. Texas
Hopwood v. Texas
Hopwood v. Texas, 78 F.3d 932 , was the first successful legal challenge to a university's affirmative action policy in student admissions since Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265...
, 78 F.3d 932 (5th Cir. 1996), Hopwood was the first successful legal challenge to a university's affirmative action policy in student admissions since Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that ruled unconstitutional the admission process of the Medical School at the University of California at Davis, which set aside 16 of the 100 seats for African American...
, 438 U.S. 265 (1978).The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama before Myron Herbert Thompson
Myron Herbert Thompson
Myron Herbert Thompson is a United States federal judge.Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, Thompson received a B.A. from Yale University in 1969 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1972. He was an Assistant Attorney General of Alabama from 1972 to 1974, and was then in private practice in Montgomery,...
. Tompkins alleged that he was denied equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the rights guaranteed them by 42 U. S. C. Sections 2000d, 1981 and 1983 of the Civil Rights Act to participate in ASU’s All-White Scholarship Program and to eliminate the race requirements. 40% of Alabama State University academic grants went to whites.
External links
- http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:hbEfpTzaoBUJ:www.cir-usa.org/legal_docs/tompkins_v_alabama_district.pdf+www.cir-usa.org/legal_docs/tompkins_v_alabama_district.pdf&hl=en&gl=us District Court Order
- http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:O-NDo8kmxH8J:www.cir-usa.org/legal_docs/tompkins_v_alabama_cert.pdf+jessie+tompkins+and+cir+legal+briefs&hl=en&gl=us Writ Of Certiorari to U.S. Supreme Court
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3626/is_200407/ai_n9468078/pg_4/?tag=content;col1, findarticles.com, EVENTS AFTER THE KNIGHT DECISION.