The Equal Protection Project (EPP) filed a federal complaint on Jan. 13 against 11 scholarships at Grand Valley State University, alleging discrimination against white applicants by only accepting applications from students belonging to underserved and underrepresented communities. The EPP claims using ethnicity as qualification for a scholarship violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment. The University has not yet received notice of the complaint from the U.S. Civil Rights Office, and is “committed to full compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.”  

Since its creation in 2023, the EPP has filed federal complaints against universities that promote diversity initiatives or provide scholarships to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) students. Along with the complaints, the EPP has been a strong critic of critical race theory and Diversity, Inclusive and Equity (DEI) training. 

The EPP, an extension of the Legal Insurrection Foundation (LIF), is a conservative, nonprofit advocacy organization that focuses on issues such as free speech and academic inequity. LIF also created CriticalRace.org, a website that shows a map of all U.S. universities that teach critical race theory or require DEI training. The site has been discussed on Tucker Carlson Tonight, a conservative political commentary show.

“We believe that saying a scholarship’s only open to Blacks and other non-whites is about as discriminatory as you can get,” said EPP Founder William A. Jacobson, according to LIF’s website. “If there were any doubt, if they had a scholarship that said, ‘we’re only open to whites,’ there’d be an absolute uproar, and there should be.” 

Despite the EPP identifying as an “anti-racist” organization, it has primarily targeted programs that support minority students. The organization’s founder has also openly opposed the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement on his social media. On X, Jacobson reposted and commented on an article that referred to the BLM movement as “hysteria,” and BLM protest participants as “fools.”  There are no BIPOC individuals among the 10 members of LIF’s leadership team.

The 11 scholarships mentioned in the EPP’s complaint benefit a range of BIPOC students, primarily students who identify as African American or Latin American. The scholarships were created to help historically disadvantaged groups receive the same opportunities and financial resources as other students. According to GVSU’s Office of Financial Aid, there are over 500+ scholarships available to the student body, and based on the EPP’s claims, only 11 are specified for BIPOC students.

The EPP’s complaint include the following GVSU scholarships:

• The Johnny C. Burton Memorial Scholarship
• The Steelcase Inc. Seidman College of Business Diversity Scholarship
• The Richard A .Winn Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association Scholarship
• The Brooks First Generation Diversity Endowed Scholarship
• The Michael ‘06 and Janean ‘05, ‘08 Couch Black Excellence Scholarship
• The Rev. Terry W. ‘70 and Sandra L. (Mackus) ‘68 Allen First Generation Diversity Scholarship
• The Dr. Earl Harper Management Scholarship
• The Social Work Minority Scholarship
• The Initech Global Diversity in Technology Scholarship
• The Lupe Ramos-Montigny “SI SE PUEDE” Legacy GVU Foundation Scholarship
• The Lupe Ramos-Montigny “SI SE PUEDE” Legacy Scholarship

“These scholarships represent more than just financial assistance, they symbolize a commitment to breaking the cycles of oppression and providing a pathway for young Black leaders to pursue their educational aspirations despite the obstacles they may face,” said Minnesota attorney Ben Crump on Instagram, commenting on a similar situation waged by the EPP. “For many Black families who have endured generations of systemic discrimination and economic hardship, these scholarships offer a glimmer of hope and a tangible opportunity for their children to access higher education and build brighter futures.”

Some GVSU students, such as Bran Hurst, disagree with the EPP, saying they’d like to see more scholarships from the University that support underserved groups in the future. 

“I believe we should have more scholarships just for BIPOC students, it’s not like money that isn’t mine in the first place can be taken from me,” Hurst said. “I want to see more support for people from all historically discriminated cultural backgrounds because they are always the first ones to learn how much big business and the government can screw us over.”

In 2023, the EPP attracted media attention for accusing Missouri State University of being non-inclusive toward white males after hosting a small business training “boot camp” for women and BIPOC students. In March 2024, the EPP filed a similar complaint against North Central University’s George Floyd Memorial Scholarship because only BIPOC students could apply. 

“Special scholarships for a particular community is not an issue, and it’s a weird thing to go after,” Hurst said. “It looks to me like the EPP is trying to make people argue over nothing, as usual. I think it’s really brave of these guys to waste (everyone’s) time and money in an inane legal battle.”

GVSU student Jessica Perez-Patino said she disagrees with the EPP. She feels removing scholarships would take opportunities away from those who need financial aid most. Perez-Patino is the daughter of two immigrant parents, and is a recipient of the Thompson Scholarship for Hard Working Families. Perez-Patino compared the EPP’s complaint to a child trying to take another’s toy, despite having many of their own. She also pointed out there are several other scholarships tailored to certain individuals, such as athlete-only or women-only scholarships. 

“Coming from immigrants, you don’t have the same steps as the people who were born here,” Perez-Patino said. “You might be actually 10 steps behind compared to other students. Historically, people of color have always had a harder time getting into school (or) never had the chance to get to school. There are plenty of scholarships for (other) people.”