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Expert criticizes ‘illegal violation of civil rights’
Morgan State University offered a racially discriminatory design summer camp sponsored by its architecture school, only to scrub the info when asked by The College Fix.
Shortly after The Fix reached out to the Baltimore historically black university for comment, the school edited the website and now does not specify what race the application is open to.
Held from June 29 to July 2, the school advertised the camp as open to “rising Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) stars in the Baltimore area,” according to an archived version.
It previously described the camp as a “unique program designed specifically for rising 4th to 12th grade BIPOC students.” The camp started in 2024 with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The new version ditched the racial language and said the school wanted “rising K-12 students in the Baltimore area!”
The school described the camp differently when asked for comment by The College Fix, omitting the anti-white element.
“Since its inception, the Design Summer Camp has been—and continues to be—open to all eligible students,” the statement read. “Morgan State University does not exclude participation in its academic or educational programs based on race or any other protected characteristic, consistent with applicable law and University policy.”
Morgan University’s public relations team told The Fix via email: “The School of Architecture and Planning at Morgan State University launched its Design Summer Camp in 2024 to help build a pipeline of future architects, designers, and planners by introducing K–12 students to these disciplines through immersive, hands-on learning experiences.”
The school said that the summer camp was aimed at giving students in the Baltimore region the chance to learn from design faculty and professionals, in addition to gaining experience with mathematical origami, 3D printing, and 3D modeling.
This year’s program included team-building exercises, sketching, and developing technologies such as AI, drones, and virtual reality, and hosted around thirty students. Previous years followed roughly the same structure and have had around the same number of attendees.
The exclusion of white students drew criticism from a civil rights expert.
“This program looks worthwhile for those allowed to attend,” Adam Kissel, a visiting fellow on Higher Education Reform at the Heritage Foundation, told The Fix via email. He is also a former deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Education.
“Unfortunately, its race-based eligibility was an illegal violation of civil rights,” Kissel said.
He urged the university to amend the program to be race-neutral.
“The university should either stop holding discriminatory programs or clearly communicate that all of its programs are open without discrimination on the basis of race, color, or ethnicity,” Kissel said. “It is too late for Morgan State to make its victims whole, but it should comply with civil rights laws going forward.”
He noted as well: “This program violated Morgan State’s own nondiscrimination policy, which promises strict discipline against violators. Will the university uphold its own policy and act accordingly?”
Kissel warned that Morgan State’s racially exclusive camp is not a rare occurrence and similar violations of civil rights laws occur on other campuses as well.
“Many universities still offer summer programs that are discriminatory. It is only a matter of time before the law catches up to them.”
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