Whites-only scholarship at Columbia challenged

Sharyn Jackson | The Des Moines Register

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Six days before her death in 1920, a wealthy Iowa divorcee living in a Manhattan hotel made a gift of half a million dollars to Columbia University.

For reasons lost to history, the gift had strings attached, and now, more than 90 years later, one of those strings is bringing controversy to the Ivy League school.

Lydia C. (Roberts) Chamberlain, a Jefferson, Iowa, native and owner of the turn-of-the-century Chamberlain Hotel that once existed in downtown Des Moines, established a fellowship for graduate students born in Iowa to attend Columbia. One catch: The students had to be white.

Now, Columbia is seeking to change the terms of the Lydia C. Roberts Graduate Fellowship, which has stipulated that money be given only to "a person of the Caucasian race."

Chamberlain left Columbia most of her $509,000 estate, but left a long list of restrictions for becoming Roberts fellows. Others: They must have graduated from an Iowa college or university, must not study law or several other fields, and must return to Iowa for two years after graduating.

University officials filed court papers last week in support of earlier action by the estate's trustee, JPMorgan Chase, to change the provisions of the bequest that violate federal anti-discrimination laws.

In addition to the race rule, Columbia seeks to modify the requirement that students be born in Iowa, and instead allow them to be residents. The university "may not discriminate based upon national origin," according to the affidavit.

For the academic years 2005-2012, 102 graduate students with Iowa addresses applied to Columbia University, and 127 graduates of Iowa colleges or universities applied.

School offended

Columbia released a statement Wednesday saying that it is "as offended as anyone by the requirements of these fellowships."

"The fact is Columbia long ago ceased awarding the fellowships in question and does not follow gift conditions that violate anti-discrimination laws," the statement read.

While many schools offer scholarships targeted toward racial minorities, the purpose of the award determines whether a scholarship discriminates.

"There's a difference between considering race as a factor in giving a scholarship where you're trying to cultivate diversity, versus a scholarship where the intent is to exclude people based upon perceived inferiority of their race," said Angela Onwuachi-Willig, a law professor at the University of Iowa.

The intent behind Lydia Chamberlain's donation is unknown.

"It could be the donor put 'white' in there because at the time most students at Columbia University were white," Onwuachi-Willig said. "But it also could mean that it was a direct intent to discriminate against students of color. I think that the university would have a right to contest the continued use of the fund under those restrictions."

Universities, in general, must adhere to restrictions on gifts as long as they are legal, said Tiffani Shaw, University of Iowa Foundation chief operating officer.

Shaw said she's not aware of any instance in which the University of Iowa received a donation with illegal restrictions, even though the majority of gifts have conditions in place. "We are happy to adhere to those intentions as long as they are lawful," she said.

2 recipients unaware

The New York Daily News reported that Columbia hasn't awarded the fellowship since 1997. But a Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism scholarships and fellowships bulletin from 2006 lists the fellowship — without mention of a race restriction.

Two recipients of the award told The Des Moines Register they had been unaware of the rule.

"I didn't know race was part of the requirement," Timothy Polashek, a music professor at Transylvania University in Kentucky and a 1997 recipient of the Roberts fellowship, wrote in an email.

Doug Gross, an attorney in Des Moines, received the fellowship for study at Columbia's School of International Affairs in 1977.

"It was a great thing for me. There was no way I could have afforded it without that," said Gross, the 2002 Republican nominee for governor.

"I had no idea they had those limitations," he said. "I did know you had to be from Iowa. I thought that was weird."

Contributing: Jens Manuel Krogstad; The Associated Press