Colleges Trying to ‘Increase the Number of Native American Nurses’ Face Civil Rights Complaint

A watchdog group filed a civil rights complaint against Oklahoma schools offering a federally funded scholarship catered toward Native American nursing students.

Northeastern State University and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College are “discriminating against white students and other races they disfavor” through the program, medical advocacy group Do No Harm told the Department of Education in a Tuesday complaint obtained by the Washington Examiner. The public colleges “will distribute scholarships to Native American nursing students” to boost their representation in the field, according to NSU’s online description cited in the complaint.

The program’s goals are to “increase the number of Native American nurses,” “support Native American students pursuing nursing degrees,” and “prepare you to serve in Indian health facilities after graduation,” the NSU description says. The scholarship covers tuition, books, and living expenses, among other perks.

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Do No Harm’s complaint asks the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights to investigate the schools, determine that their “brazen race discrimination violates” the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and consider getting the Department of Justice involved for legal action.

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