UT Austin Slapped with Civil Rights Lawsuit for Race-Based STEM Program 

The American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) sued the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) on Monday over its research program, “Black epiSTEMologies,” which aims to “foster racial equity in STEM for all Black people.”

The lawsuit alleges the program – which is funded by the National Science Foundation – violates the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by excluding non-black students from the program. 

According to the lawsuit, the program asks students to explore their “conceptions of Blackness … as it relates to their STEM engagement and perspectives of racial equity in STEM.” Additionally, the program pays students who meet its eligibility criteria a $40 gift card to complete a survey and participate in a focus group.

However, the lawsuit alleges that the program is only open to students who identify as black or biracial with at least one black parent, excluding students from all other racial backgrounds.

“This is one of the most shockingly discriminatory programs this organization has ever encountered,” said AAER president Edward Blum. “UT-Austin is openly violating the Constitution and federal civil rights laws by paying students for their time and insights – but only if they are a specific race.”

“Federal dollars should never be used to segregate students or promote exclusionary racial practices,” Blum added. “UT Austin’s conduct is an affront to equal protection and basic decency. It is frustrating and puzzling why UT’s administration and the Board of Regents did not end this blatantly discriminatory program long ago.”

It’s also worth noting that the state of Texas prohibits public universities from having policies or programs “promoting differential treatment of or providing special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, or ethnicity.”

Unfortunately, as Do No Harm has documented over the years, the existence of legal barriers doesn’t always deter bigotry and discrimination, and oversight and enforcement is often required. 

Do No Harm also recently identified instances of divisive practices and policies elsewhere in the UT system: UT Southwestern’s Department of Surgery maintains a “structural disadvantage curriculum” (SDC) that was funded in 2022 by a grant from the American College of Surgeons to bankroll “innovative and impactful research projects and programs addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism issues.”

AAER’s lawsuit is critical to ensure UT adheres to federal law and ends its discriminatory behavior.