The University of Oregon was named in a civil rights complaint on March 4 regarding four UO scholarships that allegedly discriminate based on race, color, national origin and/or sex.
The complaint, filed by the Equal Protection Project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, a conservative non-profit that seeks to ensure equal protection under the law, said that UO’s alleged discrimination violates Title VI, Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
According to the complaint, since UO is a public university, violating Title VI and Title IX directly violates the 14th Amendment.
According to UO’s website, the university offers several scholarships to incoming and current students, and the Equal Protection Project alleged that these four scholarships are violating the laws.
The Equal Protection Project named four UO scholarships in the complaint, including the Robert J. Erickson Kaiser Permanente Scholarship and Maradel Gale Pacific Islands Scholarship, which both allegedly violate Title VI and the Miller Family Graduate Award in Technology & Science and Andrea Gellatly Memorial Scholarship, which both allegedly violate Title IX.
According to UO’s website, the Robert J. Erickson Kaiser Permanente Scholarship is intended to “encourage the higher education of students of color who are underrepresented in the college system.”
The complaint alleges that the “discriminatory factor” of this scholarship is that it states that “special consideration will be given to students who are Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latinx or Native American.”
The Maradel Gale Pacific Islands Scholarship “supports domestic or international students admitted to the University of Oregon, from the Pacific Island Nations (non-Hawaiian); with special preference given to those with proficiency in an Indigenous language.”
According to the complaint, the “discriminatory factor” of this scholarship is that an applicant must be a Pacific Islander student.
The Miller Family Graduate Award in Technology & Science is intended for graduate students who are pursuing research in technology or natural science, and there is a preference for female students.
The complaint alleges that the scholarship is discriminatory because it states it has a preference for female students.
The Andrea Gellatly Memorial Scholarship “is awarded to a woman beginning her final year in Clark Honors College who has demonstrated academic excellence, breadth of interest and social concern.”
According to the complaint, the scholarship is discriminatory because it states “woman beginning her final year.”
In an email statement to the Daily Emerald, William A. Jacobson, founder of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, calls on the senior administration of UO to make sure “nondiscrimination standards are upheld throughout the university.”
“Where were the administrators and staff whose jobs supposedly are devoted to preventing discrimination? Why was there no intervention to uphold the legally required equal access to education,” Jacobson wrote.
On Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights released a new guidance, clarifying the definition of racial discrimination.
The new guidance established that any “discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin is, has been and will continue to be illegal,” which includes diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Because of this, the complaint cited the new guidance as a reason why UO is allegedly violating the rights of individuals.
The Equal Protection Project concluded its complaint by asking the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to open a formal investigation, impose “remedial relief” to those excluded from UO’s scholarships and ensure that all ongoing and future scholarships and programming “comports” with the U.S. Constitution and federal civil rights laws.
“Creating educational opportunities based on race, color, national origin or sex is offensive and violates Titles VI and IX, respectively, of the Civil Rights Act, as well as Oregon law,” Jacobson wrote. “Such race and sex-based scholarships also violate UO’s own non-discrimination policies. We are asking UO to live up to the law and its own rules, and remove the discriminatory eligibility barriers it has erected.”
In 2025, the Equal Protection Project filed eight complaints against universities across the U.S., alleging each school has violated Title VI and IX for their racial-based scholarships or programs.
According to UO Spokesperson and Director of Issues Management Angela Seydel, the university has not received “official notification” of a complaint being filed.
“(UO) will respond to the Office of Civil Rights should they open a review,” Seydel said.
