The University of Oregon is defending a program that provides as much as $30,000 a year for three years to reimburse departments and colleges for the cost of “startup packages” used to attract new minority faculty members, The Oregonian reported.

An economics professor has called the program an “obvious violation” of the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But the university’s general counsel, Melinda W. Grier, says the program is legal because the money is not used in hiring decisions, and it goes to the professor’s department, not to the professor. “Dollars aren’t allocated based on race,” she said. “Departments get reimbursed for costs.”

Opponents of affirmative action acknowledge that by not giving money directly to the faculty member, the program might survive challenges under the Civil Rights Act or the Equal Pay Act. But the critics still question its legality. —Charles Huckabee