The beginning of 2024 was greater than just the start of a brand new 12 months in Texas. It was additionally the date Texas’ Senate Invoice 17 went into impact, banning variety, fairness and inclusion, or DEI, applications at public universities within the state. Six months into that legislation, although, some surprising unwanted side effects have gotten clear—together with the impression on over 100 scholarships for potential college students.
A report within the Dallas Morning Information finds that 131 scholarships throughout the state have been frozen or modified because of the legislation, together with 80 at Texas A&M and 45 at College of Texas campuses.
The legislation was meant to finish applications like variety coaching and comparable initiatives at faculties, however has additionally led to colleges investigating and typically freezing scholarships for nonwhite college students, even these which might be privately funded.
In some circumstances, the wording surrounding eligibility for scholarships is being modified from phrases like “minority” to “disadvantaged.” Different faculties are making greater modifications. As an illustration, the Biotechnology Variety Scholarship at Texas A&M (as a result of it had the phrase variety within the title) and a community-funded scholarship for black feminine athletes named for 2 college students who had been killed in a automotive crash was frozen by the college.
“The scholarships do not have anything to do with that diversity program or the state law,” Sam Butts, father of one of many college students who was killed, advised the Morning Information. “We’re disappointed because that scholarship was set up to help minorities.”
State Sen. Brandon Creighton, who authored the invoice, mentioned in a press release to the paper that SB17 was not designed to impression scholarships supplied by non-public organizations and “the law makes clear that taxpayer funds should not be spent conferring special benefits based on race, color, or ethnicity.”
As a result of lots of these scholarships are administered by faculties, although, confusion has arisen.