A student at the University of South Florida (USF) was reportedly denied mental health services because he was not a member of the black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) community, according to communications obtained by Campus Reform.
Andrew Davis wanted to attend an “Understanding Self and Others” (USO) group therapy meeting, but he realized that none of the sessions worked with his schedule. Because of this, he asked USF’s counseling center if he could attend the BIPOC meeting as it was the only time he could attend, but the university informed him this wasn’t allowed.
“I am interested in attending a USO group meeting after completing the pre-group appointment but the only day/time that works for me is Wednesdays during the BIPOC students-only group,” Davis inquired in an email. “I am not a BIPOC student but was wondering if I would still be able to attend?”
“Unfortunately, we do need to keep this space specific to BIPOC folks … Hopefully you’ll be able to catch another one either during Winter break and/or next semester,” the USF Counseling Center said in response.
On Oct. 5 2022, Davis filed a complaint with USF’S Office of Compliance & Ethics, eventually receiving a response on Feb. 8 of this year, according to Campus Reform.
A white student at the University of South Florida was reportedly denied mental health services because of his race.Getty Images
“The Counseling Center will not prohibit any category of student [from] participating in specialized counseling groups unless specific exception, or a medical mandate is identified that may support exclusivity,” the school responded.
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In addition, Davis was reportedly targeted by Equal Opportunity Officer Kenneth Thomas during an Oct. 18 Microsoft Teams information-gathering meeting regarding the issue.
David said Thomas “was accusatory” and “asked me if I even knew what BIPOC meant and if I understood the importance of those groups having their own discussion,” according to Campus Reform.
“He did not seem concerned about my complaint and was more worried about the University’s ability to continue these groups,” Davis added.
USF’s DEI initiatives were exposed by Chris Rufo after he obtained public documents that showed the university segregated students by race, and “promotes the idea that white students should think ‘I feel bad for being white’ and ‘it’s not my fault I’m white’ as part of their ‘racial identity development.’”
Fox News’ Joshua Nelson contributed to this report.