The U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Office for Civil Rights opened an inquiry yesterday evening into a complaint against UC Berkeley over allegations that five campus programs constitute racial discrimination and thereby violate federal law.<\/p>\n
The Equal Protection Project, part of conservative advocacy group Legal Insurrection Foundation, filed the complaint Feb. 10. The programs being targeted are the African American Student Development Office, Black Resource Center, Latinx Student Resource Center, African American Initiative Scholarship and Lloyd A. Edwards Scholarship.<\/p>\n
The EPP alleges these programs are only open to certain students based on race, either explicitly or through \u201cstrong racial signaling,\u201d and thereby violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.<\/p>\n
Campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof said UC Berkeley has no comment on the complaint.<\/p>\n
Timothy R. Snowball, a UC Berkeley alumnus and one of the lawyers who filed the complaint, said he finds these programs \u201cpretty disturbing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the campus was to set up a white student development center \u2026 everyone would understand pretty much on its face that that\u2019s a racist thing to do,\u201d Snowball said.<\/p>\n
However, ASUC Senator Sara Teran, who represents undocumented and immigrant students, characterized the EPP\u2019s rhetoric as \u201charmful,\u201d noting that minority students may face \u201cdifferent challenges\u201d than white students.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not discriminating against anyone or going against the law of discriminating against certain individuals,\u201d Teran said. \u201cIf anything, it\u2019s supporting individuals that have historically been discriminated against.\u201d<\/p>\n
This complaint follows a previous Civil Rights Complaint that the EPP filed Dec. 1, 2025 with the Department of Justice\u2019s OCR against 138 California public colleges and universities.<\/p>\n
The complaint claims these institutions run undocumented student programs that \u201cunlawfully discriminate against American-born students\u201d and thereby constitute violations of Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.<\/p>\n
Programs listed in the complaint include campus\u2019s Undocumented Student Program, which provides comprehensive support services for undocumented students.<\/p>\n
According to the EPP\u2019s website, the Department of Education and Department of Justice\u2019s offices for civil rights are evaluating these complaints for further action.<\/p>\n
The EPP filed another Civil Rights Complaint on Jan. 18 with the Department of Education\u2019s OCR against the UC Office of the President and California Community College Chancellor\u2019s Office.The complaint alleges the Puente Project, a yearlong transitional program aiming to increase the number of \u201cunderrepresented\u201d transfer students, benefits Latine students \u201cto the exclusion of\u201d non-Latine students.<\/p>\n
The Department of Education\u2019s OCR has opened a formal inquiry into the Puente Project, according to the EPP\u2019s website.<\/p>\n