An advocacy group has filed a federal civil-rights complaint against the State University of New York’s Buffalo School of Medicine for running two separate summer programs that gives preference to non-White students and requires White students to prove that they are either "economically disadvantaged or historically underrepresented."
State University of New York’s (SUNY's) Buffalo School of Medicine Medical Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) for high school students; and its Middle School Summer Enrichment Program for 7th and 8th graders give preferential treatment to high school and middle school students who identify as "Black/African-American," "American Indian/Alaska Native" and "Hispanic/ Latino."
In a June 25 complaint, the Equal Protection Project (EPP) told the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights that the racial preference program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment as well as Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
"SUNY Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine is a quality institution that has strong anti-discrimination policies consistent with legal requirements. SUNY Buffalo should live up to its own standards and the law and stop treating people differently based on race and color," William Jacobson, president of the EPP, told Fox News Digital.
The university's STEP program "is a New York State grant-funded program that prepares secondary school students (in grades 7 to 12) who are either economically disadvantaged or historically underrepresented for entry into college and improves their participation rate in mathematics, science, technology, health-related fields and the licensed professions."
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In its admission eligibility requirements process, both summer programs require every applicant to identify their race and ethnicity.
Its STEP program states on its website that the program is designed for "minorities historically underrepresented in the scientific, technical, health related and licensed professions who are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native or Hispanic." The program defines "African Americans" as those who are "black," and includes those who are "from Africa and the Caribbean."
Both applications state that students who do not fall into the racial or ethnic categories must demonstrate that they are "economically disadvantaged" in order to be eligible to participate in the college's summer program.
The University at Buffalo also promotes the Medical Science STEP program on its website and has an online application form for students to complete.
On the application form, the University of Buffalo also makes it clear that if applicants are not racial minorities they are automatically excluded from consideration unless they can demonstrate that they are low-income, the complaint says.
The EPP alleges that the summer programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires states to practice equal protection.
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Jacobson said that the program is teaching the younger generation that "treating people differently based on race and color is acceptable."
"By implementing racially discriminatory policies with regard to high school and middle school student programs, SUNY Buffalo is doing damage beyond the institution," Jacobson said. "It is teaching youth that treating people differently based on race and color is acceptable."
"But such discrimination never is acceptable, and SUNY Buffalo needs to lead by example," Jacobson continued.
In its formal complaint, the EPP asked that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to "impose remedial relief as the law permits for the benefit of those who have been illegally excluded" from the SUNY summer programs.
"The Equal Protection Project calls upon SUNY to conduct a system-wide Equality Audit to identify all programming that discriminates on the basis of race and color, and to eliminate those practices," Jacobson said. "As the Supreme Court recently ruled, 'Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.'"
"EqualProtect.org is willing to assist SUNY in an Equality Audit without charge," Jacobson added.
