The group noted that “undergraduate students whose identities are underrepresented at the University of Minnesota, or undergraduate students whose studies focus on racial and social justice” were eligible for the scholarship.
“The broad nature of this description not only invalidates the Black experience that is linked to police brutality, but also speaks to the inability of the University to see to the needs of Black students specifically,” the group wrote.
According to the Minnesota Daily, administrators were slow to move following the group’s demands because of legal issues behind race-specific scholarships. However, the scholarship’s webpage has now been updated to include that “an additional consideration will be given to Black or African American students if they are underrepresented in the University.”
Other eligible candidates include “those with financial need and those who have been victims of police violence.”