Commentary

Big Win: University of Colorado Ditches Its Illegal Discrimination

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • December 5, 2023
  • University of Colorado School of Medicine

Another medical school has been caught discriminating – and forced to stop.

After Do No Harm filed a federal civil rights complaint for alleged violations of Title VI and Title IX, the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus ditched its requirements for three “diversity” scholarships that restricted eligibility on the basis of race, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This is a victory for merit and protecting the civil rights of all students over the widespread woke ideology that has infected US medical schools.

The three “diversity” scholarships could hardly have been more blatantly discriminatory:

  • The first scholarship, for anesthesiology students, was only eligible to “African American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, and/or LGBTQIA” applicants.
  • The second scholarship, for anesthesiology assistants, was only eligible to “African American, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, Native American/Alaska native, [and/or] Vietnamese” applicants.
  • The final scholarship, for surgical students, was only eligible to “African American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, and/or LGBTQ” applicants.

Do No Harm filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in June, pointing out that such discrimination violates federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity. The Office for Civil Rights has now closed the case after working with the University of Colorado to eliminate its illegal restrictions. This is another troubling example of a university that was either inexcusably unaware of its legal obligation to actively enforce federal civil rights or unacceptably unconcerned about violating the civil rights of certain medical students based on their race or sex.  

Figure 1. Eligibility criteria for the Medical Externship Diversity Scholarship as seen on June 4, 2023.
Figure 2. Current eligibility criteria for the Medical Externship Diversity Scholarship.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to end affirmative action for college admissions, medical schools should be on notice that no form of race-based discrimination is allowed whether it’s for admissions, financial aid, or academic programs. They need to understand that race-based and sex-based discrimination is still unlawful even if it advantages the “right” race or sex for the “right” reasons.

Do No Harm will keep fighting against illegal discrimination at medical schools. And as the University of Colorado just learned, Do No Harm knows how to win. But the real winners are the most qualified applicants to medical school and the patients they will eventually treat.