The Equal Protection Project (EPP), a division of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, has filed a civil rights complaint against Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, alleging that 18 of its scholarships and programs discriminate based on race, color, national origin, and sex. The complaint asserts that these practices violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
According to the EPP, Bowdoin College offers scholarships that explicitly favor certain demographic groups. For instance, the Alice G. and Frederick W. Titus Scholarship Fund gives preference to students from minority groups to enhance campus diversity. Similarly, the David and Lauren Herter Scholarship Fund is designated for minority students who contribute to the college’s diversity. The Peter Metcalf Small Scholarship Fund prefers African American students and seniors interested in teaching or library work. The Pamela E. Herbert Memorial Scholarship favors female minority students.
The EPP’s complaint includes links, archived pages, and screenshots from Bowdoin’s website to substantiate these claims. The organization argues that such criteria are unlawful and undermine the principles of equal opportunity. The EPP has previously filed similar complaints against other institutions, including the University of Rhode Island, which removed 31 scholarships pending review after an EPP complaint.
Bowdoin College has not publicly responded to the allegations. The outcome of the complaint may prompt further scrutiny of scholarship practices at private colleges nationwide.
