Prometheus 6

In connection with this:

Colleges Open Minority Aid to All Comers
By JONATHAN D. GLATER

Facing threats of litigation and pressure from Washington, colleges and universities nationwide are opening to white students hundreds of thousands of dollars in fellowships, scholarships and other programs previously created for minorities.

Southern Illinois University reached a consent decree last month with the Justice Department to allow nonminorities and men access to graduate fellowships originally created for minorities and women.

I'd like to share some email, and some frustration.

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Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:13:30 -0500
From: Earl Dunovant <prometheus6@prometheus6.org>
Organization: Prometheus 6
To: pmcneil@siu.edu
Subject: U.S. Orders College to Drop Fellowships For Minorities

Ms. Neil:

In November 2004, it was reported that Federal prosecutors threatened to sue SIUC over the Bridge to the Doctorate, PROMPT and Graduate Dean's fellowships, giving you a week to suspend or cancel them.

May I ask what the outcome of that was, or if the sword still dangles over your heads? I'm particularly interested in the handling of the Bridge to the Doctorate fellowship, since it's a participant in the federally sanctioned LSAMP program.

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Earl Dunovant
http://www.prometheus6.org/
prometheus6@prometheus6.org

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First response:

From - Tue Jan 17 19:23:08 2006
In-Reply-To: <43CD41DA.6030904@prometheus6.org>
References: <43CD41DA.6030904@prometheus6.org>
Message-Id: <28fb890d30e19c8ef312444927239041@siu.edu>
From: Pat McNeil <pmcneil@siu.edu>
Subject: Re: U.S. Orders College to Drop Fellowships For Minorities
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:06:51 -0600
To: Earl Dunovant <prometheus6@prometheus6.org>

Mr. Dunovant:

Your request has been forwarded to the Chancellor's Office for response.

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Second response:

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From - Tue Jan 17 22:37:03 2006
Subject: RE: U.S. Orders College to Drop Fellowships For Minorities
From: "Walter V. Wendler" <wendler@chanc.siu.edu>
To: "Pat McNeil" <pmcneil@siu.edu>,
"Earl Dunovant" <prometheus6@prometheus6.org>
Cc: <JBlakemore@notes.siu.edu>
Mr. Dunovant:

Thank you for your interest in our graduate programs. This matter is being discussed through our Offices of General Counsel and I have copied my response to you to Jerry Blakemore, General Counsel of Southern Illinois University. I know he will be able to respond to your questions.

Thanks again for your interest in Southern.

Walter

Walter V. Wendler
Chancellor
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Anthony Hall Room 116
Carbondale, IL 62901-4304
Phone: 618-453-2341
Fax: 618-453-5362
Email: wendler@siu.edu

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Now that I know who I'm talking to, I get to the point:

From - Mon Jan 23 17:05:15 2006
From: Earl Dunovant <prometheus6@prometheus6.org>
Organization: Prometheus 6
To: JBlakemore@notes.siu.edu
CC: "Walter V. Wendler" <wendler@chanc.siu.edu>,
Pat McNeil <pmcneil@siu.edu>
Subject: Re: U.S. Orders College to Drop Fellowships For Minorities
References: <243B10F52BC1774895B0937126B9C3F733843F@ws137031.anthony.siu.edu>
In-Reply-To: <243B10F52BC1774895B0937126B9C3F733843F@ws137031.anthony.siu.edu>

Ms. McNeil, Mr. Wendler, thank you both for sending me in the right  direction.

Mr. Blakemore:

I’m writing an article about the organized opposition to race conscious education support programs…“Affirmative Action Programs” is acceptable shorthand for them. I read in November that Southern Illinois University Carbondale was accused of discrimination against white males in November
2005. I’d like to be sure I understand the issues of the case and ask a  few questions.

The National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources, in keeping with the National Science Foundation Authorization  Act of 2002, P.L. 107-368, enacted in December 2002, and seeking to fulfill the act’s mandate to expand the nation’s pool of engineers and  scientists, created the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority  Participation (LSAMP) Program in 2002. As part of the Illinois Louis
Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation alliance, I understand Southern Illinois University Carbondale has participated in the Bridge to the Doctorate program for two years. I also understand the U.S. Attorney Civil Rights division has demanded SIUC end its participation in this program, accusing your institution of discrimination.

Since the program was submitted to, and approved by, the National Science Foundation, what is the basis of their complaint?

Since Chicago State University, as the lead institution in your Alliance, was responsible for submitting the proposal, why are they making this charge against SIUC?

Since by NSF rules you must pick Phase III participants from graduates of earlier phases of the program, should the complaint not focus on Phase I of the program?

If the attorney’s office successfully forces this program to end at SIUC, what does that imply for the LSAMP program as a whole? And the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program <http://nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04602/nsf04602.htm>? And the Research on Gender in Science and Engineering <http://nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05614/nsf05614.htm> program? And the
Research in Disabilities Education <http://nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05623/nsf05623.htm> program? All federal programs, all individually focused on the specific needs of specific subpopulations, all part of an aggregate effort by the NSF to address the whole population.

Finally, if your answers raise further questions (it's pretty likely, since I'm starting this based on gut reactions more than legal knowledge) would you mind a few follow questions?

Thank you for your time.

--

Earl Dunovant
http://www.prometheus6.org/
prometheus6@prometheus6.org

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Final answer...nothing.