Controversy and debate has recently surrounded a scholarship program at Pepperdine University that is only available to minority students.

The university, located in Malibu, Calif., offers the scholarship to students who are African American, Asian American or Hispanic.

Other races are not eligible to receive the scholarship, which awards $500 per year to freshmen recipients and $1,000 per year to sophomore, junior and senior recipients. There are currently 50 students at Pepperdine who receive the scholarship. Tuition at the private college is $36,000 a year.

“I suspect that the program has more to say about retention than admission,” said W. David Beard, the dean of Seaver College at Pepperdine, which is similar to an undergraduate division. “To the extent that the scholars program creates a community of underrepresented students on our campus known for its academic excellence and leadership potential, that serves something as a support group. It encourages students to complete their degrees in what is primarily a white campus.”

Two nonprofit groups, the American Civil Rights Institute and the Center for Legal Opportunity, have filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The complaints allege the conditions of Pepperdine’s scholarship violate the recent Supreme Court ruling on the University of Michigan’s admissions policy. The court ruled that race could not be a deciding factor in admission, but could be one factor among others used for consideration.

“Life circumstances and economic status are more important than race,” Nitin Julka, spokesperson for the University of Wisconsin student group Students for Academic Freedom, said. “In general, if you use economic status, it will help minorities more than others.”

Julka also said he has heard stories about middle-class African Americans winning scholarships based on race, edging out other races from very poor rural areas.

UW journalism professor Hemant Shah said the Pepperdine scholarship issue is a complex one and is more involved than simply considering whether the scholarship ought to be offered.

“It’s tough to separate race and economic status,” Shah said. “Certain minority groups tend to have higher percentages of poor people, while there is a lower proportion of poor white people in general.”

Shah also said it is important to look at the community Pepperdine is trying to serve and the diversity the university aims to create on campus.

Beard said he hopes Pepperdine will continue to offer the scholarship despite all of the media attention.

“To do otherwise would be hypocritical,” Beard said. “Of course, we will comply with the law of the land in this as in all matters. But it is our understanding of the civil rights act that boutique, need-based diversity programs like [this one] fall within the guidelines and spirit of the prevailing law.”

Julka also feels the controversy will not hinder the usage of affirmative action in financial and admission decisions.

“Media attention highlights issues that society needs to look at … I don’t think the media attention on the scholarship will cause resentment about affirmative action.”