Commentary

A Civil Rights Investigation is Underway at Mizzou School of Medicine

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • January 24, 2023
  • University of Missouri School of Medicine

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened an investigation into illegal race-based discrimination at the University of Missouri School of Medicine (MUSOM).

Figure 1. University of Missouri School of Medicine (https://medicine.missouri.edu/financial-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships)

OCR is investigating Mizzou for ten university-funded scholarships in the School of Medicine that contain race/ethnicity restrictions for applicants, which is prohibited under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964:

  1. Guy Eastman Brown II and Ellen Tarshis Brown Scholarship Fund
  2. Marvin W. and Lilith E. Valle Scholarship Fund
  3. Medical School Minority Scholarship
  4. Richard A. Holmes, M.D. Minority Medical Students Scholarship Fund
  5. Lillie Graham Medical Scholarship Endowment Fund
  6. Medical Minority Scholarship
  7. Thomas J. and Sharlyn Cooper Minority Medical Student Scholarship Fund
  8. Dr. Judy Wells Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund
  9. Minority Medical Student Scholarship Fund
  10. Nouri Sandoval Scholarship Endowment

The investigation was initiated in response to a federal civil rights complaint filed in August 2022 by Do No Harm program manager Laura Morgan.

MUSOM’s financial aid office says, “Most scholarships received by medical students are institutionally funded from donations and gifts from alumni and friends of our school.” Donors to the School of Medicine must insist their gifts are used for scholarships that are fair, open to all, and compliant with federal law.