Race Used as Basis to Exclude Whites and Asians from Oracle Internship and Scholarship Opportunities

Oracle Partners with UNCF to Offer Scholarships and Internships

Oracle, a major tech company, has partnered with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to provide scholarships and internships. However, these opportunities are exclusively available to individuals of African American descent, as white and Asian applicants are explicitly excluded based on their race.

Oracle Corporate Scholars Program

Oracle has launched the Oracle Corporate Scholars Program, which offers extended learning experiences at Oracle headquarters during the summer of 2023. The program specifically targets African American, Hispanic, or Native American students, providing them with scholarship support.

Eligibility Requirements

The program excludes white and Asian applicants and is limited to African American/Black, American Indian – Alaska Native, and Hispanic American individuals. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to intern during the summer of 2023 and receive scholarship awards for the academic year 2023-24 upon completing the program.

Oracle Developer Scholars Program

The article also mentions the "Oracle Developer Scholars Program," which aims to select students as technical development interns for the summer of 2023. The program has similar selection criteria to another program mentioned in the article.

Racially Discriminatory Internship Programs

Oracle is advertising two racially discriminatory internship programs on its website, targeting students from underrepresented communities in STEM. The tech company has partnered with the United Negro College Fund to provide internship opportunities and scholarship funding to these students. Oracle claims to have donated over $12 million towards this cause.

Restrictions on Applying

Oracle will continue to offer internship and scholarship opportunities in the summer of 2024. However, there is a restriction on who can apply for these programs. Applicants are required to apply through the United Negro College Fund website, but individuals who identify as "Caucasian" or "Asian Pacific Islander American" are not allowed to access the application.

Potential Legal Issues

The Oracle Corporate Scholars Program informs white and Asian applicants that they are ineligible for the opportunity based on their applicant profile. David Bernstein, a professor at George Mason University, suggests that those who were barred from applying may have grounds to sue, although it is a complex issue. According to Bernstein, if someone were to sue Oracle for hiring a grant recipient while knowing that whites and Asians were excluded, the person suing would likely win the case.

Other Tech Companies Involved

A report from the Washington Free Beacon reveals that Google has implemented a policy that limits the number of white and Asian students that universities can nominate for a fellowship program. Microsoft has also implemented a cap on the number of white and Asian students who can be nominated for their fellowships. Additionally, pharmaceutical company Pfizer is facing a lawsuit for allegedly racially discriminating against white and Asian applicants for their fellowship program.

Voya Investment Management Scholarship Program

Voya Investment Management recently organized a Financial Services Diversity Scholarship Program that excluded white applicants. The program had specific eligibility criteria that required applicants to self-identify as belonging to certain racial or ethnic groups, including Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native American, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or multi-racial.