Justice Department threatens suit over Southern Illinois University's minority fellowships.

Justice Department threatens suit over Southern Illinois University's minority fellowships. CARBONDALE, ILL. Federal prosecutors are threatening to sue Southern IllinoisUniversity over three graduate school scholarship programs aimed atwomen and minorities, saying they are discriminatory. SIU SIU Southern Illinois UniversitySIU Seafarers International UnionSIU Special Investigations UnitSIU Schiller International UniversitySIU Special Investigative UnitSIU Salem International UniversitySIU Societ�� Italiana di Urologia "has engaged in a pattern or practice of intentionaldiscrimination against Whites, non-preferred minorities and males,"the Justice Department said in a letter. A copy of the letter wasobtained by the Chicago Sun-Times This article is about the Chicago newspaper. For the Canadian newspaper, see Owen Sound Sun Times. The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago. . The graduate scholarships, or fellowships, violate Title VII of thefederal Civil Rights Act of 1964, the department contends. The letterdemands SIU discontinue the fellowship programs or face a lawsuit fromthe Justice Department's civil rights division. One U.S. senator from Illinois says the move may be more aboutboosting President Bush's sagging approval ratings than aboutdiscrimination. "It strikes me as a completely unnecessary and divisive moveand one that I think may be pretty cynical in its motive,"Democratic Sen. Barack Obama says. Bush's popularity has been eroding steadily in the face ofcontinued casualties in Iraq, the highly contentious U.S. Supreme Courtnominations and the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Thepresident's approval rating is now at 37 percent in the latestAP-Ipsos poll, the lowest in his presidency. SIU Chancellor Walter V. Wendler denied the fellowships arediscriminatory and says he supports the programs. He says the universityrecently sent a letter to federal officials asking for a meeting. The programs, dubbed the Proactive Recruitment and MulticulturalProfessionals for Tomorrow fellowships and the Bridge to the Doctoratefellowships, are aimed at increasing enrollment of minorities ingraduate programs where they are underrepresented un��der��rep��re��sent��ed?adj.Insufficiently or inadequately represented: the underrepresented minority groups, ignored by the government.. The Proactiveprogram, begun in 2000, has aided 78 students, while the Bridge program,begun last year, has aided 24 students. A third program, the Graduate Dean's fellowships, are aimed atwomen and minorities who have overcome adverse social, cultural oreconomic conditions. It was started in 2000 and has aided 27 students. "I don't think that discriminates against Whites, butthat's what we need to talk to [federal officials] about,"says Wendler, adding that the school has "lots of other fellowshipprograms open to everyone." Just less than 8 percent of SIU's 5,500 graduate students areBlack or Hispanic. University spokeswoman Sue Davis says that theprograms have helped improve the school's diversity and are similarto those at other schools nationwide. In June 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a general affirmativeaction affirmative action,in the United States, programs to overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women. policy at the University of Michigan law school The University of Michigan Law School, located in Ann Arbor, is a unit of the University of Michigan. The Law School, founded in 1859, currently has an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students, most of whom are earning the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Master of Laws (LLM). but struck downthe university's undergraduate formula as too rigid because itawarded admission points based on race. One expert says the Justice Department's argument could bebolstered by the ruling. "The court said you can't categorize people purely byrace," says Mark W. Cordes, a law professor at Northern IllinoisUniversity Coordinates: . "The same thing would apply to a fellowship. At thatpoint, you aren't treating people as individuals." The Center for Equal Opportunity, after months of dialogue with SIUabout the fellowships, eventually, protested to the Justice Department. "There's no question in my mind that what SouthernIllinois is doing is illegal," says the center's generalcounsel, Roger Clegg Roger Clegg is the President and General Counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity. Prior to joining the CEO Clegg served in a variety of capacities within both the Reagan and George H.W. . "It's actually, I think, long overduefor the government to make it clear to universities that they cannotengage in illegal discrimination." --Associated Press