MARION – State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) released a letter sent to the Dean of the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine, Dr. Jerry Kruse, the President of the SIU System, and the SIU Board of Trustees, concerning a recent report that calls into question the integrity, transparency, and constitutionality of the admissions practices at the SIU School of Medicine.

“As a medical professional for over forty-five years, my patients know that my diploma on the wall reflects my hard work to understand medical procedures, medicines, and how the human body works, and they do not have to worry about my abilities based on my skin color or any other criteria based on a current political movement,” said Rep. Jacobs, a Doctor of Optometry.

Joined by other elected officials from the southern Illinois region, Senators Dale Fowler and Terri Bryant, and Reps. Patrick Windhorst, Dave Severin, and David Friess, Rep. Jacobs is investigating a recent report from The Daily Wire that raises serious and troubling concerns about the SIU School of Medicine’s admissions process.

The article alleges that students with higher MCAT scores and academic qualifications are being rejected in favor of applicants from certain racial and ethnic backgrounds, despite the Supreme Court’s clear and recent ruling on this very matter in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (2023). In that decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the consideration of race in higher education admissions decisions—commonly referred to as affirmative action—is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

“Illinois taxpayers and prospective students deserve a fair and merit-based admissions system, free from unconstitutional preferences or discrimination of any kind,” added Jacobs in the letter to Dean Kruse. “The reputation and credibility of Southern Illinois University and its School of Medicine depend on adherence to the highest legal and ethical standards.”