SUNY Albany faces federal race-discrimination complaint for black-only internships
The State University of New York at Albany, or SUNY Albany, is facing a federal civil-rights complaint from an anti-racism group called the Equal Protection Project (EPP). The taxpayer-funded school is accused of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause over its controversial Touhey Library Equity Fellowship program. The program offers interns $1,500 scholarships and up to $11,500 in stipends, but is only available to black graduates of master library and information science or master of science of science in information systems programs. The EPP claims that the program is racially discriminatory, arguing that “racial discrimination by a public institution is illegal regardless of which race suffers”.
According to the complaint filed by EPP with the federal Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights, the Touhey Library Equity Fellowship is a “blatantly discriminatory program”, and SUNY Albany is engaging in racial discrimination by creating, supporting, and promoting a racially-restrictive paid internship program at the Albany Public Library. The program was launched in 2020 as a partnership between SUNY Albany and the library, and is limited to “students of color” in the school’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity.
SUNY Albany has previously denied administering the fellowship program, but EPP asserts that the university created the program and continues to promote it, which is a violation of the law regardless of who administers it. According to William Jacobson, founder of EqualProtect.org, “the remedy for racism should never be more racism”, and SUNY Albany needs to examine whether its fight against systemic racism has perpetuated racism in a different form.
FAQs:
What is SUNY Albany?
The State University of New York at Albany is a public research university located in Albany, New York. It is one of the four university centers of the State University of New York system.
What is the Touhey Library Equity Fellowship?
The Touhey Library Equity Fellowship is a paid summer internship program at two branches of the Albany Public Library. It offers $1,500 scholarships and up to $11,500 in stipends to black graduates of master library and information science or master of science of science in information systems programs.
Who filed the federal civil-rights complaint against SUNY Albany?
The civil-rights complaint was filed by the Equal Protection Project, an anti-racism group that opposes racial preference policies in academia.
What is the EPP’s claim against SUNY Albany?
The EPP claims that SUNY Albany violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause by creating, supporting, and promoting a racially-restrictive paid internship program at the Albany Public Library that is only available to black graduates of library school programs.
What is the response from SUNY Albany?
SUNY Albany has not yet responded to the civil-rights complaint. However, a UAlbany representative previously told The Post that the school is “not involved in the administration of this fellowship program”, suggesting it is not engaging in discrimination.
Black-Only Internships at SUNY Albany Sparks Federal Race-Discrimination Complaint
The State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany is facing a federal civil-rights complaint filed by an anti-racism group over its racially exclusive library internship program. The Equal Protection Project (EPP) claims that the taxpayer-funded Touhey Library Equity Fellowship, available only to black students, discriminates against non-white students, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause. The EPP complaint, filed with the federal Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights, calls for an investigation of the program and its promotional materials, plus the imposition of appropriate remedial action. The complaint notes the fellowship was created in 2020 as a partnership between the university and the Albany Public Library and was designed explicitly for “students of color.” It offers paid summer internships to recent black graduates of library school programs, giving them practical skills and proficiency in aspects of public librarianship.