We previously reported how the Equal Protection Project had filed a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General regarding a “Business Boot Camp” at Missouri State University that excluded white males, and only white males, from participation. “BIPOC” and females would participate.
We covered the details in our post Missouri State U ‘Business Boot Camp’ That Excluded White Males Challenged By Equal Protection Project and in our letter to MO Attorney General Andrew Bailey detailing not only the legal violations, but how this was not the first time MSU imposed racial restrictions on programming:
Although the last class of the current boot camp is April 18, 2023, it appears that the course is part of broader programing through MSU’s efactory and SBDC that discriminates on the basis of race. For example, those arms of MSU recently partnered with other organizations to provide multiple rounds of $5,000 grants, no-cost business training and free one-on-one assistance to business owners who identified as BIPOC – business owners who were white were not eligible to participate.12
12 https://efactory.missouristate.edu/blog/2022/04/16/ascend-grant-bipoc-springfield/ [https://archive.is/F9r9Y] (accessed on April 18, 2023). This program is called ASCEND – an acronym for Advancing Springfield’s Commitment to Entrepreneurship, Networking & Diversity. See https://efactory.missouristate.edu/blog/2022/09/29/ascend-grant/ [https://archive.is/Jn9wA] (accessed on April 18, 2023).
We just received word that MSU has agreed not to bar white males from the boot camp in the future. The Heartlander reports on the MSU statement and our response (emphasis added):
A no-white-males-allowed bootcamp for business startups at Missouri State University was a one-off, and future trainings will be offered irrespective of race and gender, a spokesperson says.Not good enough, says a national watchdog….After being asked for comment by The Heartlander on Wednesday, an MSU spokesperson emailed on Thursday:“The Early-Stage Business Boot Camp Program is designed to assist new and aspiring small business owners in establishing and growing their businesses. The Spring 2023 program was funded by the U.S. Bank Foundation and, on a one-time basis, focused on minority and/or women-owned businesses.“On an ongoing basis, the efactory will continue to offer the Early-Stage Business Boot Camp Program at no cost to the participants, and irrespective of their race and/or sex.”Still, the attorney general’s involvement, as well as more boot camps for all races and both genders, should go on, notwithstanding the university’s statement, EPP president and founder William Jacobson wrote in an email to The Heartlander Thursday.“It should not have taken a complaint to the attorney general by the Equal Protection Project for MSU to acknowledge its obligation to administer the business boot camp without regard to an applicant’s race or sex,” Jacobson wrote in response to MSU’s statement. “MSU needs to make that commitment for non-discrimination across its programming, and to explicitly state that it will not permit programming focusing on the racial characteristics of attendees.“MSU’s statement also does nothing to remedy the discriminatory harm, because it has not committed to offering more boot camps. MSU should commit to offering at least two more boot camps open to everyone so that those who were excluded based on race and sex have a chance to attend.“Also, we continue to urge the attorney general to investigate how this clearly discriminatory boot camp was permitted to happen at MSU, and what other programming at MSU operates on a racially exclusionary or racially focused basis.”The Heartlander asked the MSU spokesperson whether any other programs at the university have indeed excluded participants by race or gender. The spokesperson referred that question to the MSU custodian of records.
After our complaint to the Attorney General, MSU took down the boot camp website with the incriminating racial restrictions:
But we always archive webpages before we raise an objection, so the racial restrictions remain demonstrable:
It is not enough for MSU to say “oops” — particularly since this is not the first time MSU has promoted a racially-restrictive program. We will continue to urge Attorney General Andrew Bailey to conduct a thorough investigation as to how such open discrimination took place at a major state university, and who knew what and when.
A broader investigation into race-focused and race-restricted programming at MSU is needed. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
You can follow news of the EPP’s efforts at our EPP News Feed.
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