State Republican Chairwoman Patricia Morgan sees "racist overtones" in a whites-only scholarship sponsored by the College Republicans of Roger Williams University.

01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, February 17, 2004

BY ALEX KUFFNER
Journal Staff Writer

BRISTOL -- A whites-only scholarship being offered by the College Republicans at Roger Williams University is "disturbing," says the state's Republican chairwoman.

"It does not move us forward in a reasonable debate over the issues," Patricia Morgan said yesterday.

She emphasized that the student group is not sponsored or supported by the state Republican Party.

Morgan responded after learning that the College Republicans are offering a scholarship -- which now stands at $250 -- that is only open to applicants who are white. The group created the scholarship as a statement against affirmative action. It is not endorsed by the university administration.

Though she did acknowledge that the debate over affirmative action is valid, she said the student group's tactics have "racist overtones."

"We have zero tolerance for racists in the Republican Party," she said. "I'm really appalled by the way they brought this up."

The College Republicans have been advertising the scholarship on their Web site over the past two weeks. They also took out an ad last week in the Hawk's Herald, the university's student newspaper.

The application for the scholarship asks for an essay explaining "why you are proud of your white heritage."

The scholarship recipient will be announced tomorrow night by Reginald Jones, a critic of affirmative action who is giving a lecture entitled, "How the civil-rights movement destroyed the black community."

The scholarship was originally for $50 but was increased after two donors each gave the College Republicans $100, said Jason Mattera, the group's president.

He said yesterday he had received "at least 10" more offers of money for the scholarship.

"This really blew up," he said.

Also yesterday, Roger Williams University's College Democrats responded to the scholarship offer.

"The College Democrats are shocked at the sheer naked hypocrisy of Jason Mattera and his extremist organization," said William Keefe Sandler, the acting president of the College Democrats. "If he truly believes in the message of his publicity stunt, I ask that he return the thousands of dollars he has received in his ethnic scholarship."

Mattera, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Hispanic College Fund. He also receives an $8,000 annual scholarship from Roger Williams.

He has said he received the money because of his academic achievement and not his ethnicity.

Sandler said the College Republicans' initiative has offended other students at the university.

"It sullies the reputation of our school," he said.