Trump's week in review: Challenging universal injunctions, arresting pro-Hamas protesters
5. Education Department announces investigations into 45 colleges and universities over DEI
In a statement published on Friday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it was investigating 45 colleges and universities in the U.S. for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by partnering with “The Ph.D Project.” The agency described “The Ph.D Project” as “an organization that purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a Ph.D. and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants.”
The institutions now under federal investigation are: Arizona State University – Main Campus, Boise State University, Cal Poly Humboldt, California State University San Bernardino, Carnegie Mellon University, Clemson University, Cornell University, Duke University, Emory University, George Mason University, Georgetown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Montana State University – Bozeman, New York University, Rice University, Rutgers University, the Ohio State University – Main Campus, Towson University and Tulane University.
In addition to prominent private schools, the University of Notre Dame, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis and Yale University, several state schools are also under investigation: the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, the University of California Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the University of Cincinnati – Main Campus, the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, the University of Delaware, the University of Kansas, the University of Kentucky and the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.
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The remaining schools included on the list are: the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of New Mexico – Main Campus, the University of North Dakota – Main Campus, the University of North Texas – Denton, the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, the University of Oregon, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Utah, the University of Washington – Seattle, the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the University of Wyoming and Washington State University.
Seven colleges and universities face investigation for “alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation.” Those schools are: Grand Valley State University, Ithaca College, New England College of Optometry, the University of Alabama, the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, the University of South Florida and the University of Oklahoma – Tulsa Community School of Medicine.
The Department had previously informed academic institutions and state education agencies in a letter published last month that they risk losing federal funding if they embraced policies designed to advance diversity, equity and inclusion by favoring students of one racial group over others.
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread academic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination; today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes.”
McMahon added, “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
