First the student government at Western Kentucky University (WKU) demanded that black students be given free tuition to make up for historical wrongs like slavery and segregation.

Now the faculty government at the academic institution are implicitly supporting that demand by insisting the university create a fund to pay education expenses for black students and other “underrepresented groups,” The College Fix reports.

The student government resolution insisted that reparations for historical racism be provided “in the form of full and free access for all black people.” Last week, the facility decided to “stand in solidarity” with the students and back the support the resolution. The Bowling Green Daily News reports that 30 faculty members voted in favor of the resolution, three against and three abstained — apparently following “30 minutes of contentious debate.”

Following the original student government resolution and a wave of national media coverage that featured on-air interviews with students pushing for the free tuition, outgoing WKU president Gary Ransdell decided to intervene in the controversy, indicating that the university would not be adopting the students’ demands but would “direct resources, energy and effort toward those methods that are responsible, practical and proven to achieve student success, with a particular focus on underrepresented minorities, low-income and first generation college students.”

The faculty now want new president Timothy Caboni to commit to that policy by funding the educational of black students and others deemed worthy of subsidized or free education.

The faculty members also say Caboni needs to address “the legacy of discrimination in Kentucky and in America that created ongoing wealth disparities that negatively impact or campus community.”

Patricia Minter, who authored the resolution in the university senate, did not respond when asked why the faculty did not use the phrase “full and free access” in its demand, even though it is essentially advocating for the same thing by insisting that an education fund for minorities be established.

When asked by The College Fix if the university’s reparation policy should apply to all black students — and not just those who are direct descendants of slaves — resolution co-author Brian Anderson provided no comment.

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