Reps. Cori Bush , D-M.O., and Emanuel Cleaver II, D-M.O., called on University of Missouri System President Mun Choi to reverse the decision to end race-based admissions and scholarships in a letter written Thursday.

“We believe that a rushed decision to exclude race-based criteria would endanger the futures of Black and Brown students in Missouri who will bear the brunt of decades of discrimination and unequal access to higher education,” the representatives said in their letter.

On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court halted affirmative action policies from determining college admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey then applied the court’s decision to race-based scholarships, programs and employment in addition to admissions at all educational institutions in Missouri.  

Following the Supreme Court’s decision and Attorney General Bailey’s ban, the UM System ended race-based scholarships. Starting with the class of 2028, UM System students will no longer be able to apply for race-based scholarships.

The Supreme Court’s decision does not restrict race-based consideration in scholarships or prohibit the UM System from considering how race impacts a student’s life if they chose to discuss it in their application.

“The University of Missouri System can and should consider the ways that a student’s lived experience would benefit their contributions to campus and how it can impact their ability to access higher education in the first place,” the representatives said in their letter. “The Court did not restrict the use of race-based scholarships or financial aid.”

Reps. Bush and Cleaver urged Missouri universities to make the best choice for future UM System students. The representatives expressed that decisions should be made with the interest of students in mind.

“When we lose talented applicants and graduates, we risk driving residents out of Missouri and into other areas that can provide more stable opportunities,” the representatives said in their letter.

Reps. Bush and Cleaver ended their letter with questions for the UM System. The representatives asked for clarification on why the UM System decided to eliminate race-based scholarships, if scholarships or admission by legacy status will also be eliminated, how they will expand recruitment efforts to include students of color and how they plan to invest in the success of students of color.

Edited by Sophia Anderson | sanderson@themaneater.com

Copy Edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com 

Edited by Sophie Rentschler | srentschler@themaneater.com