Cheyney University, the historically Black educational institution in Pennsylvania, is preparing to file a lawsuit against the Commonwealth, Governor Tom Corbett, and other agencies of the state government. On this date in 1980, the university filed a lawsuit claiming “unlawful actions against Cheyney University compared to its favorable treatment of the 13 traditionally White state-owned universities.” That suit was settled in 1999.
Now 33 years after the first suit was filed, the university is renewing its legal action. In a statement, attorney Michel Coard said, “The Commonwealth in 2013 continues this racial discrimination, which has caused an all-time great institution to have an all-time low student enrollment and an all-time high budget deficit.”