Student Scholarships Targeted By Republican Politicians After Affirmative Action Ruling

The Supreme Court’s shocking ruling to end affirmative action has people in an uproar, in particular, Republican politicians like Robin Vos.

In a new move targeting diversity on college campuses, politicians and officials are moving to end minority scholarship programs, MSNBC reports.

Robin Vos, the Republican speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, responded to a tweet claiming a minority scholarship program designated for students of Black, Indigenous, Hispanic or Asian descent presented a form of discrimination. Vos said he will “introduce legislation to correct the discriminatory laws on the books and pass repeals in the fall.”

We are reviewing the decision and will introduce legislation to correct the discriminatory laws on the books and pass repeals in the fall. https://t.co/dVpNxqnF2H

— Robin Vos (@repvos) June 29, 2023

Vos is known for being against DEI efforts. He once referred to programs at the University of Wisconsin System as “indoctrination.” After his comments on Twitter, he went on to retweet a user who said Ivy League schools “hate rural whites.”

According to the Associated Press, Vos and state Republicans voted to cut $32 million from the UW System’s budget unless they agreed to use the funds for workforce development over DEI efforts. They also have a plan that will seek to cut close to 200 DEI jobs on the school’s campuses.

While some colleges issued statements saying they will study the decision before any policy changes are made, Missouri’s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, isn’t giving the state any more time, according to Inside Higher Ed.

In a letter sent to all state colleges, Bailey wrote, “Institutions in Missouri must implement the Supreme Court’s decisions immediately…All Missouri programs that make admitting decisions by disfavoring individuals based on race—not just college admissions, but also scholarships, employment, law reviews, etc.—must immediately adopt race-blind standards.”

The University of Missouri system—with campuses in Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla, and St. Louis—issued a rebuttal saying regardless of the ruling, all universities “will honor our financial aid commitments that have already been awarded to our returning and incoming students.”

Christian Basi, a spokesman for the university system, said $16.12 million has been spent in the past academic year on scholarships where race or ethnicity is a factor. The figure represents 5.3 percent of total spending on student aid.