A group of University of Oklahoma students initiated a class action lawsuit against the school on May 15, claiming the institution granted financial aid improperly based on students’ race. 

“[R]acial preferences continue to exist at the University of Oklahoma. Rather than determining who to admit based on their race, the University of Oklahoma determines how much financial aid it gives to students based on their race. That is unlawful,” the lawsuit, which was shared online by Fox News, states. 

“Universities that discriminate on the basis of race when making financial-aid awards violate the same equal protection principles that apply in the admissions context and elsewhere,” it continues. 

Attorney David Thompson, representing the plaintiffs, told Fox News: “Racial discrimination in all of its forms is illegal and immoral, and we intend to vindicate that principle in this lawsuit.”

The defendants in the legal challenge are school President Joseph Harroz, Chief Enrollment Officer Jeff Blahnik, Director of Financial Aid Services Courtney Henderson, and Student Engagement Director Dorion Billups.