A conservative legal organization has tendered a federal civil rights complaint against MIT over a student program that excluded white women. The group argued that the MIT program, which was designed to benefit only women of color, violated constitutional protections against racial discrimination.
If proven to be true, the case will place an embarrassing stain on the institution’s reputation.
The Controversial Program
“The Creative Regal Women of Knowledge,” or CRWN, is an MIT initiative that helps women access financial assistance for academic and professional development. The program also offers group mentoring and access to social outings, retreats, dinners, and events as part of its package.
Beneficiaries must be students in their second year and above who are from minoritized ethnicities.
Who is Challenging the Initiative?
A Rhode Island-based nonprofit organization, the Equal Protection Project, is leading the charge against the program. The group has filed the complaint with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, a sub-agency of the Department of Education saddled with ensuring equal access to education.
The organization is confident that the program violates the law against discrimination based on race, as captured in Title VI and IX.
The Organization’s President Speaks
“We bring this civil rights complaint against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for creating, supporting, and promoting a program for undergraduate students… that engages in invidious discrimination based on race, color, and sex,” said the President of the foundation, William A. Jacobson.
The college did not promptly respond to the allegations even as Jacobson called for “remedial relief” for the excluded students.
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Jacobson Believes That the Discrimination Was Clear as Day
Jacobson challenged the soundness of any contrary argument concerning the discriminatory character of the program. “Any reasonable person would understand that all students are not welcome to participate,” he argued.
The content of the application form seemed to support Jacobson’s point. For instance, a section requesting applicants to specify their race—a provision that arguably betrayed the intent of the program’s administrators.
“Openly Racially and Sexually Discriminatory”
Apart from race, the foundation also raises eyebrows over the exclusion of the male gender. In a statement the President sent to a renowned media house, he referred to the program as “openly racially and sexually discriminatory.”
He also argued that good intentions are not justifiable grounds for exclusion. “Regardless of the purpose of the discrimination, it is wrong and unlawful.”
Enough of Racism and Sexism!
Jacobson referred to the recently marked 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed racial segregation in public education.
According to his statement, the CRWN is a setback to the case’s gains over the years. He lamented that an institution such as MIT, which benefits from federal funding, would impede the fight against segregation.
The Equal Protection Project
Launched in 2023, the Equal Protection Project is an offshoot of the Legal Insurrection Foundation (LIF), which Jacobson, a Professor of law at Cornell Law School, founded in 2019.
The LIF, which sprung out of the Legal Insurrection Blog, another project with a shared founder, is focused on fighting for the fair treatment of every individual, irrespective of race and ethnicity.
Years of Fighting for Inclusion
This MIT case is just one of the dozens the LIF, through the Equal Protection Project, has been involved with. According to the foundation’s website, it has championed resistance to many “exclusionary fellowship programs, many of which are open only to nonwhites.”
The website also mentioned that several pending cases and investigations will “result in more actions in the near future, including litigation.”
The Man Behind the Campaign
It would only take a man with a passion for social justice and reforms like Jacobson to power such a noble project as the LIF. In addition to his law scholarship at Cornell Law School, he serves as the director of the Securities Law Clinic.
Over the years, he has lent his voice as a staunch opponent of race-based policies in the educational arena.
The MIT Finally Responds
As a result of the foundation’s efforts, MIT was forced to rescind its action, even though pretty surreptitiously. The institution has now begun accepting applications from applicants from all races and genders.
A statement on the institution’s website read, “While our program is designed to support and celebrate undergraduate women of color, participation is open to all students regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and national origin.”
Jacobson Questions MIT’s Sincerity
While the foundation sees this as a win and a big step forward in its fight, it is still not convinced that the institution is repentant.
“MIT is trying to rewrite the exclusionary and discriminatory history of the CRWN program. This raises questions as to whether MIT is sincere in opening up the program to all students regardless of race or sex,” said Jacobson.
Should MIT’s U-Turn Stop the Investigation?
Apart from his skepticism over the institution’s seeming change of heart, which is reflected in his call for the appointment of an independent monitor for the program, he calls for the DOE not to be distracted from pursuing the investigation.
He added that a change in the wording of MIT’s website doesn’t erase the school’s history of civil rights violations that have been happening for years.
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