The College Republicans of Roger Williams University sparked national controversy yesterday by awarding a scholarship available only to white students.
The prize, financed through private donations, was publicized as a protest against racial preferences on college campuses.
"We're trying to show the inequality on campus, that just because of someone's skin color, they're automatically at a disadvantage," said RWU College Republicans President Jason Mattera on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes on Monday.
The application required an essay on "why you are proud of your white heritage" and a photograph "to confirm whiteness."
"Evidence of bleaching will disqualify applicants," it read.
Some Penn students were not impressed.
College junior Rich Eisenberg, president of the Penn Democrats, called the scholarship "extremely distasteful" and "offensive."
"I think it sounds pretty terrible. I think conservatives in general have tried to simplify the issue," he said.
Stephanie Steward, vice chairwoman of Penn's College Republicans, disagreed.
"I think it was an absolutely brilliant thing to do," she said. "Things like this point out the hypocrisy of minority scholarships."
College sophomore Eric Rechtschaffen, executive director of the College Republicans, echoed those sentiments.
"I think that it is necessary to provoke a debate in this manner," he said.
Mattera, who is of Puerto Rican descent, has come under allegations of hypocrisy for accepting a $5,000 scholarship from the Hispanic College Fund.
Mattera, however, dismisses those accusations.
"I think it just strengthens my argument, because I have nothing personally to gain from this," he said to Fox News host Alan Colmes. "In fact, I have something personally to lose from sponsoring this scholarship."
College junior Jesse Salazar, Latino Coalition spokesman, was skeptical of Mattera's defense.
"I'm glad [Mattera] received the minority scholarship which allowed him to go to college," he said, "because not many Latinos are afforded that privilege."
Salazar said that only 11 percent of American Latinos have ever graduated from college.
College junior Dan Gomez, chairman of Penn's College Republicans, said that he has been subject to much of the same criticism that Mattera has received for his views.
"What Democrats and liberals hate the most is a minority that's on the other side of the issues," he said. "It really gets them worked up."
In the meantime, donors from across the country have stepped forward to increase the amount of the scholarship -- originally set at $50 -- to over $3,000 as of Monday.
RWU has distanced itself from the group, which has a history of igniting controversy.
"All those members of the Roger Williams University campus have a voice that deserves to be heard should they choose to speak out," said RWU Provost Edward Kavanagh, according to The Providence Journal.
"Further, the initiative is an independent action by a student organization and is not endorsed by Roger Williams University."
