Twenty-Eight Discriminatory Scholarships at Bucknell U. Challenged by Equal Protection Project

Twenty-Eight Discriminatory Scholarships at Bucknell U. Challenged by Equal Protection Project

The Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) has challenged over 500 discriminatory programs and scholarships at over 110 colleges and universities.

Our most recent filings was a Civil Rights Complaint filed on August 12, 2025, at the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education against Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, regarding twenty eight (28) scholarships that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin (10) or sex (18).

From the Complaint (images omitted):

We bring this civil rights complaint against Bucknell University(“Bucknell”), a private college, for discrimination in twenty-eight (28) scholarships and programs based on race, color, or national origin (10), or sex (18), in violation of Title VI and Title IX, respectively.

Bucknell University offers a range of scholarships for students, most of which are awarded automatically to eligible applicants during the admissions process.2 However, some scholarships require a separate application submitted by the same deadline as the admission application.

The scholarships listed below3 are currently active according to the Bucknell website, and violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VI”) and its implementing regulations4 by excluding students based on their race, color, or national origin, while other scholarships violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) and its implementing regulations5 by excluding students based on their sex…

We then detail each challenged scholarship, quoting the key discriminatory eligibility language, with links, archived links, and screenshot. Because of the large number, we’ll just quote a handful here:

I. SCHOLARSHIPS AND PROGRAMS THAT VIOLATE TITLE VI (10)

1. William D. Adams Presidential Scholarship
Link: https://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/endowedfunds/endowedscholarships/
Archived Link: http://archive.today/4KMjp
Discriminatory Requirement: “…preference for students whose ethnic, racial, economic or national origins add to the diversity of Bucknell.”6

9. Betty Ann Quinn Scholarship Fund
Link: https://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/endowedfunds/endowedscholarships/
Archived Link: http://archive.today/4KMjp
Discriminatory Requirement: “…income to be given to a worthy Black student.”

***

II. SCHOLARSHIPS THAT VIOLATE TITLE IX (18)

1. Bucknell Women in Science and Engineering Scholarships (B-WISE)
Link: https://www.bucknell.edu/admissions-aid/tuition-fees-financial-aid/scholarship-programs/bucknell-women-science-engineering-scholarships
Archived Link: http://archive.today/3q9Hs
Discriminatory Requirement: “is awarded to high-achieving women applicants.”

4. Harriet M. Bucknell Scholarship
Link: https://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/endowedfunds/endowedscholarships/
Archived Link: http://archive.today/4KMjp
Discriminatory Requirement: “The scholarship is to be awarded to a young woman.”

5. William Bucknell Scholarships
Link: https://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/endowedfunds/endowedscholarships/
Archived Link: http://archive.today/4KMjp
Discriminatory Requirement: “The William Bucknell Scholarships are given to help worthy young men to obtain an education with which to increase their usefulness in life.”

10. Rockefeller Jones Fund
Link: https://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/endowedfunds/endowedscholarships/
Archived Link: http://archive.today/4KMjp
Discriminatory Requirement: “… for two young men of good moral character.”

There are a couple of distinguishing features of the Bucknell scholarships. As to sex-based scholarships, we normally see such discrimination entirely or almost entirely in favor of women. With Bucknell, there were several scholarships that discriminated in favor of men, and we challenged those also.

Additionally, Bucknell formulated its race-based scholarships in a manner that mixed race and national origin bias with other lawful discrimination such as economic. But this doesn’t work, because race and national origin discrimination are not eliminated just because there is other lawful discrimination. We made this point in the complaint:

[fn] 6 Bucknell frequently uses the formulation of preference based on “racial” “ethnic” and “national origin” characteristics in addition to other factors to “enhance the diversity.” Such formulation is on its face a violation of Title VI as it is promoting the scholarships in a manner that would dissuade members of racial, ethnic, and national origin groups that would not “enhance diversity” from applying. Rather than a defense, this formulation is an admission of discrimination based on protected categories.

***

It is no defense that Bucknell promotes racial, ethnic, and national origin preferences alongside lawful preferences such as economic status. Racial criteria and preferences serve as “signals” of racial and sex-based preferences. As the Second Circuit recognized in Ragin v. New York Times Co., 923 F.2d 995, 999–1000 (2d Cir. 1991), even subtle messaging can convey discriminatory preferences: “Ordinary readers may reasonably infer a racial message from advertisements that are more subtle than the hypothetical swastika or burning cross, and we read the word ‘preference’ to describe any ad that would discourage an ordinary reader of a particular race from answering it.” Here, Bucknell sends a signal that would dissuade students whose racial, ethnic, or national origin groups would not expand diversity from applying. Word games and too-smart-by-half formulations cannot evade the civil rights laws.

The filing received local news coverage.

The Standard-Journal wrote:

An organization based in Rhode Island has filed a civil rights complaint regarding alleged discriminatory scholarships at Bucknell University. The university states it is operating within federal compliance.

The letter calls for the Department of Education to “open a formal investigation, impose such remedial relief as the law permits for the benefit of those who have been illegally discriminated against in Bucknell’s various scholarships and programs.”

The university issued a statement Tuesday maintaining it is in compliance with regulations.

“Bucknell University is in compliance with current federal law and continues to proactively review its compliance in all areas of operation,” the statement reads….

“That race- and sex-based discriminatory scholarships exist at a highly ranked university is shocking and reflects how Critical Race Theory and its offshoots like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, are deeply embedded in the campus culture,” William A. Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project, stated in a press release. “It is time for higher education everywhere to focus on the inherent worth and dignity of every student rather than categorizing students based on identity groups.

“Creating educational opportunities based on race, color, national origin, or sex violates Titles VI and IX of the Civil Rights Act, as well as state law,” he continued. “Such scholarships also violate Bucknell’s own non-discrimination policies. We are asking Bucknell to live up to the law and its own rules, and remove the discriminatory eligibility barriers it has erected.”

He added that the organization is not seeking to have the scholarships “shut down.”

“We have challenged Bucknell scholarships that discriminate against women as well as those that discriminate against men. All students are entitled to equal treatment without regard to sex,” Jacobson stated. “The Equal Protection Project calls on the senior administration of Bucknell to make sure nondiscrimination standards are upheld throughout the institution.

Allied News [via Daily Item] provided:

An organization involved in litigation with universities nationwide alleges that 28 scholarship programs at Bucknell University in Lewisburg discriminate against students based on race, color, national origin and/or sex, violating Title VI and Title IX of federal civil rights laws.

The Equal Protection Project submitted the federal civil rights complaint in accordance with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights discrimination complaint resolution procedures. The Equal Protection Project is seeking a federal investigation into Bucknell’s alleged discrimination, along with relief permitted by law. It also wants assurances that all current and future scholarships comply with federal civil rights laws.

“That race- and sex-based discriminatory scholarships exist at a highly ranked university is shocking and reflects how Critical Race Theory and its offshoots like diversity, equity and inclusion are deeply embedded in the campus culture,” William A. Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project, said in a prepared statement. “It is time for higher education everywhere to focus on the inherent worth and dignity of every student rather than categorizing students based on identity groups.”

Mike Ferlazzo, the director of media relations for Bucknell University, provided a statement in response to the litigation: “Bucknell University is in compliance with current federal law and continues to proactively review its compliance in all areas of operation.”

***

“We do not want these scholarships shut down,” Jacobson said. “We want students to have access to the funding, but every student should have fair and equal opportunity for scholarships without regard to race, color, national origin or sex. Race and sex discrimination is wrong and unlawful no matter which race or sex is targeted or benefits.”

The Equal Protection Project calls on the senior administration of Bucknell to make sure nondiscrimination standards are upheld throughout the institution, Jacobson said….

“In no case are we aware of a school claiming it was free to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex, so why does it keep happening?” Jacobson said. “Unfortunately, there is a culture on many campuses that excuses some forms of discrimination, and that needs to stop. We call on Bucknell to reexamine the campus culture, including at the faculty and administrative levels, to understand why some forms of discrimination appear to be tolerated.”

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