Posted on 02/27/2003 11:09:07 AM PST by NorCoGOP
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech University student Matt Coday has a unique response to the affirmative action and reverse discrimination problems in colleges and universities. He created the United White Person's College Fund, a scholarship program established for white students in the United States.
"For the longest time, members and supporters of groups like the United Negro College Fund have said their practices are not discriminatory," the senior political science major from Levelland, Texas, said. "If I were to have a white students association or host a Miss White Lubbock USA pageant people would say I was a racist."
He said he has two purposes in creating this fund. The first, he said, is to provide financial assistance for a group that has been severely discriminated against because of organizations that give scholarship money only to minorities.
The second is to serve as a direct antidote to those groups, to confront them with their own policies, Coday said.
"This is done a little bit tongue-in-cheek," he said. "On one hand, I'm just daring someone to take me to court."
There will be lawsuits, he said. But he is prepared.
"I'm really ready for it," he said. "I've threatened to do this for years, thought about all the rhetoric I'd need, and I think I've got it."
However, Coday may not be as successful as he would like, said Kevin Scott, assistant professor of political science. He said he doubts it will be found constitutional because of several 1960s Supreme Court precedents that made discrimination illegal if the private companies practicing it were engaged in interstate commerce.
"If it's a private organization not in the stream of interstate commerce, there is nothing we can do to prevent them from discriminating," Scott said. "But if it's related at all to public activity, then they run into problems. My guess would be if the objective is to provide scholarships to Texas Tech students, it is state action."
The United Negro College Fund is within legal guidelines because race-based preferential treatment is allowed to make up for past discrimination, Scott said. However, despite the reverse discrimination arguments Coday could make, the fund is questionable.
"One of the goals of the educational community is to promote diversity," he said, adding Texas Tech's student population is not representative of the population of Texas.
Scott said he suspected Coday was trying to make a political statement with his move, but said it would probably not be effective.
"This is the wrong way to attack affirmative action, just in terms of political strategy," he said. "To acknowledge the United White Person's Fund as constitutional means you have to acknowledge the United Negro College Fund is constitutional. Fighting fire with fire doesn't work in this case, because you undermine your own argument."
Martin Dorsey, president of the Black Students Association, said the validity of the fund is dependent on what Coday's intents are.
"If it's a genuine attempt for underprivileged students to get money, then we're all for it," the sophomore cell and molecular biology major from Terrell, Texas, said. "But if he's doing it just to poke fun at the United Negro College Fund, then I don't think it's a good idea."
Student Government Association President Kelli Stumbo agreed.
"If he can find the financial backing, he's entitled to create the scholarship," she said. "But if it's in response to something or to make a statement, then I think he should question his intentions."
Bridget Brown, a member of the Black Graduate Students Association, said she does not have a problem with the scholarship fund.
"I think if you're in a certain organization, it's OK to set up a scholarship for that organization," the graduate student in communication studies from Amarillo, Texas, said.
However, it will be difficult to focus solely on white people, she said. Many biracial students consider themselves white. For the United Negro College Fund, a student can be 25 percent black and still receive a scholarship.
"There's a way of getting around everything," she said.
A representative from the Hispanic Law Student Association did not return phone calls to The University Daily.
Coday's goal is to raise $50,000 by August so the first scholarship can be used for the fall semester. He would like to give the first one to a Tech student, although students at any college could receive funding.
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Kudos to this kid.
Talk about missing the point...
Well, The United White Persons College Fund is making up for current discrimination.
Or, conversely, to acknowledge the United White Person's Fund as unconstitutional means you have to acknowledge the United Negro College Fund is unconstitutional.
I wish I saved a copy of the Fighting Whiteies T-shirt to post.
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