UNC-Chapel Hill’s Civil Rights Violations Just Keep Piling Up

Do No Harm recently reported about our federal civil rights complaint filed against the University of North Carolina for promoting and offering the Fellowship for Exploring Research in Nutrition (FERN) program. Eligibility was limited to “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)” students, which is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. UNC administrators acted to correct the information within 24 hours of learning about the complaint.

Yet, UNC-Chapel Hill has not addressed all its discriminatory programs. Mark Perry, senior fellow at Do No Harm, has filed an additional federal civil rights complaint against the university for multiple violations of Title VI, as well as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

1. The Light on the Hill Society Scholarship Program is a single-race, Black-only scholarship that illegally excludes non-Black students in violation of Title VI.

• The Joseph Cooley and Kathleen Cullins High Endowed Scholarship Fund is a single-race, Black-only scholarship that illegally excludes non-Black students in violation of Title VI.

• The Julius Peppers Endowed Scholarship Fund is a single-race, Black-only scholarship that illegally excludes non-Black students in violation of Title VI. From the original announcement:

• The Well-Being Initiative for Women Faculty of Color to Promote Professional Advancement in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research discriminates on the basis of both race and sex.

• UNC-CH is using its Scholarship Resources page to assist its students to find external, third-party scholarships that discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color or national origin.

• The Gillings School of Global Public Health held a racially discriminatory event on August 11, 2022, titled BIPOC New Student Meet and Greet. Non-BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students, staff, and faculty were not invited to the event.

This complaint is asking the Office for Civil Rights to promptly investigate and correct the illegal activities the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is engaging in with its scholarships and sponsored programs.

Have you been excluded from a scholarship or fellowship at your medical or nursing school because of discriminatory inclusion criteria? Do No Harm wants to hear from you, and you may remain anonymous if you wish.