The Maine Campus, November 16, 2023, Are There Valid Clauses to Re-Evaluate UMaine’s Native Scholarship Program?
A formal complaint was filed to the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in dispute of the University of Maine scholarship programs designated for Native American students. It was submitted by an individual by the name of Justin Samuels. The thought process behind this grievance is that opportunities reserved specifically for affiliates or descendants of Native Tribes are discriminatory against those who do not identify as such.
The Native American Waiver and Education Program covers all tuition and various fees for those applicable. Eligibility is determined by documentation proving that you are a Maine tribal member or associated with another federally recognized one.
According to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the average Native American household attains eight cents for every dollar of wealth made in the average caucasian household. The national poverty rate for white Americans is 8%. In contrast, Indigenous people hold the highest in the country at a significant 25.4%, with a statistic of one in three living in poverty across the US.
