Students sue Missouri, claiming decades of unequal funding at HBCU
FILE-The Missouri state flag is seen flying outside the Missouri State Capitol Building in Jefferson City, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Seven current and ex-students at Lincoln University of Missouri sued the state alleging it violated the Constitution and federal civil rights law by underfunding the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) for years.
Lincoln University is in Jefferson City, Missouri and is the state's first historically Black land-grant institution, and the University of Missouri is the state's predominantly white land-grant institution, according to Reuters.
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Plaintiffs in the case include alumni who attended Lincoln University in the 1980s and 1990s, a former student who left without a degree in 2024, and four current students.
The group details conditions at the university, including dilapidated residence halls, limited dining and health services, scarce course offerings, unsuitable advice and financial hardship.
News of the lawsuit comes after the Trump administration announced a more than $100 million investment in HBCUs.
Lincoln University students lawsuit against Missouri
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In a complaint, filed in federal court in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri Central Division and obtained by Reuters, details that the students are seeking compensatory damages under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act for what plaintiffs describe as "educational and economic injuries" caused by years of inadequate funding at the university.
A portion of the funding the defendants in the complaint are requesting would be allocated for campus repairs, faculty hiring, student services, financial aid and agricultural research programs.
Referencing the complaint, Reuters noted that the students are also seeking an injunction requiring Missouri to fully match Lincoln University's federal land-grant funding in the future.
The students also allege that Missouri appropriated fewer funds per student to Lincoln University than to the University of Missouri between 1987 and 2020.
Reuters reported that the students cited a September 2023 letter in which the U.S. agricultural and education secretaries determined that Missouri underfunded Lincoln University by a staggering $361.6 million during that time, according to federal higher education statistics.
Defendants named in the students’ lawsuit are the State of Missouri, the state Coordinating Board for Higher Education, Missouri Gov. Michael Kehoe, Higher Education Commissioner Bennett Boggs and University of Missouri System President Mun Choi.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Reuters, which cites the lawsuit filed by current and former Lincoln University students. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.