By Hayden Kobza
Southern’s DHSI Status and Grant
In the state of Tennessee, Southern Adventist University—the only college within the state to qualify as a Developing Hispanic-Serving Institution (DHSI)—is drawing national attention due to a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal program.
At stake is a $3 million federal grant the university has been receiving over a five-year period since 2023, the largest grant the institution has ever received. To qualify for the funding, a university’s Hispanic enrollment must be at least 25%. At Southern, Hispanic students currently account for 28% of the student body.
University’s Statement
Editorial Manager for Marketing and University Relations, Becky Brooks, released a statement to the Accent on behalf of Southern.
“Southern Adventist University’s DHSI grant allows the university to strengthen support services, implement institutional changes, and improve learning opportunities for all students,” Brooks stated in an email. “It also allows us to encourage all high school students, with an emphasis on the underserved, to take appropriate high school courses and then choose STEM degrees at higher education institutions of their choice.”
Student Reactions
Alejandro Robles, a sophomore biology major and Latin American Club president, described Southern qualifying for the grant as “a beautiful thing” for students.
“If you want an opportunity or a chance, you can get it here at Southern,” Robles said.
Even though Southern qualifies for the program due to its Hispanic population, the grant doesn’t only benefit Hispanic students.
“If it’s for everyone, that just means we need it more,” said Robles.
The Lawsuit
However, the funding may now be in jeopardy. On June 11, the State of Tennessee, along with Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), filed a a complaint in federal court, suing the U.S. Department of Education for its DHSI grant program. The U.S. Justice Department, meanwhile, has declined to defend the federal program, calling it unconstitutional.
According to the plaintiffs, The Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965—a federal law that governs student financial aid, institutional support and education policy—is using discriminatory practices to allocate funds for colleges and universities that have an ethnic threshold of 25% Hispanic.
“The State of Tennessee operates many colleges and universities,” the complaint states. “Every one of them serves Hispanic students. Every one of them serves low-income students. But not one of them qualifies to receive grants under the DHSI program. Why? Because they don’t have the right mix of ethnicities on campus.”
“There is no valid reason to make federal funds turn on race or ethnicity,” the complaint states further. “…Funds should help needy students regardless of their immutable traits, and the denial of those funds harms students of all races.”
HACU and Advocacy Groups Intervene
Just over one month after the lawsuit was filed, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), Latino Justice and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF) filed a motion to intervene as a defendant, but the court has not formally granted the intervention.
Critics of the lawsuit argue that DHSI programs do not favor certain racial or ethnic preferences when admitting students, but instead, they allocate funds to schools with large numbers of underserved students.
“Take, for example, Southern Adventist University, a HACU-member organization and a DHSI, based in Tennessee, whose student population is about 40% white and which serves 28% Hispanic students,” the motion stated.
According to HACU, the DHSI program does not mandate racial or ethnic preference to achieve an enrollment threshold.
“It does not require an institution to consider the race or ethnicity of a student for admission,” the motion states. “It does not treat individual students differently on account of race or ethnicity.”
Departmental Concerns
Brent Hamstra, chair of Southern’s Chemistry Department, expressed concern about the potential loss of $275,000 in funding for laboratory equipment and outreach programs, which could impact students of all races and ethnicities.
The department received $25,000 for the current budget year through the DHSI program, according to Hamstra. It is slated to receive $200,000 for the next budget year, which begins in October, and an additional $75,000 in the final year of the grant.
“The funding is not racially limited and benefits all students,” Hamstra said. “… Departmentally, I am concerned about the potential loss of $275,000 to buy laboratory equipment, as well as the other support and outreach.”
Hamstra said the funding the Chemistry Department expects to receive has been allocated for a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer, which allows chemists to study the structure, dynamics and chemical environment of molecules.
“What we would be trying to get for next year would be something that would allow us to process things faster,” Hamstra said, “which when we’re trying to give 150 students taking Organic Chemistry access to that instrument, being able to get lots of samples done faster is kind of a big deal.”
Silence from the University
In addition to the potential loss of funding, Hamstra said he is troubled by what he considers the university’s “silence” amid the controversy and the message it could potentially send to Hispanic students. He is also concerned about what the lawsuit could mean for academic departments that have been receiving the grant money.
“I’m not happy that nobody is currently on the defense,” Hamstra said. “In fact, in terms of equipment, Engineering has gotten substantially more support than Chemistry has from this grant.”
The Accent tried reaching Tyson Hall, chair of the School of Engineering and Physics, for comment, but received no response.
Students’ Response
When asked about his thoughts on Southern’s response, Robles expressed his desire to know more about what students can do to fight for the grant because he is grateful for the resources it has already given Southern.
Robles said if the grant is taken away, the students will handle it “with community, with each other.”
“If we support each other, that’s the least we can do,” he said, “but also through prayer, anything can happen.”
