Tufts medical school slapped with cease and desist order

The Medical School may be in violation of federal law, according to a letter from two conservative think-tanks that was received by the school last week. In the letter, Tufts was given until Apr. 21 to change its Post Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) and its Minority Externship Program or face possible legal action.

At issue is Title VI, a section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requiring that any program which spends public funds not spend them "in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination."

Action against Tufts is part of the broader campaign being waged by the Center for Equal Opportunity and the American Civil Rights Institute, two Washington DC based interest groups. Six universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have agreed to modify their programs after receiving similar letters.

The letter sent to the medical school identified the PREP and the Minority Externship Program as those not in compliance with Title VI legislation. Edward Blum, legal affairs advisor for the Center of Equal Opportunity, said that action was being taken because "these programs offer tangible benefits," which are not available to non-minority students.

The complaint alleges that the two medical school programs violate the statute because they use race "as a prerequisite" Blum said.

Henry Wortis, a professor at the Medical School, who sought government funding for the PREP program denied the program was illegal. The federal funding that the program receives would otherwise not be given to the school, and thus other programs are not suffering in the wake of PREP's existence, he said.

PREP allows students who are demonstrated minorities and have received a bachelor's degree to work for one or two years in a research position at the Tufts medical school. Participants receive a $21,000 yearly stipend. The grant allows for as many as ten assistants at any one time.

Wortis said that the University considers all groups of people who might be underrepresented in the medical field for the PREP program, not just "historically defined minorities."

The Minority Externship Program, gives students the opportunity to do a month internship in the community, with a $350 stipend and a free metro pass. Applications are floating and students are accepted from "under-represented minorities" already accepted at the Medical School.

Director of the Externship Program Di Pierce defended the program's attempts to address issues of equality. "This program is directed toward under-represented minorities but nobody is excluded from applying."

Dean of Student Affairs at the Medical School Amy Kuklik and Tufts General Counsel Mary Lee Jacobs were unavailable for comment.

If the Medical School refuses to change the program, it could face an investigation from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which Blum warned was "not a good thing for any University to endure." The OCR is a subset of the Department of Education that assures the enforcement of Title VI by conducting inquiries based on complaints filed with the office. Blum warned the process could take "years," and most universities are charged with some form of non-compliance.

Blum, however, was confident that Tufts would follow the lead of other universities and comply with the statue. In response other schools have formed "committees to look into allegations and given reasons and why they have asked for more time, and we have been more than accommodative."

The School of Arts, Sciences and Engineering also holds several programs exclusive to students of a certain racial or ethic group, including the Asian-Americans Center's "Annual George's Island Outing" and a trip to Cape Cod sponsored by the Africana Center. The Center for Equal Opportunity believes these programs are in violation of Title VI, but has decided not to pursue it, instead focusing on programs at professional schools.

Dean of Students Bruce Reitman denied the charges, and questioned why cultural programs were being targeted for media attention. He emphasized the program offered at Tufts, during the general orientation period, was legal and one of 40 programs offered during the period after general matriculation on Aug. 28.