The Trump Department of Education has launched an investigation into 52 colleges and universities in 41 states, accusing the schools of using "racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities."
The Education Department says that 45 schools partnered with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps minority students earn advanced degrees in business. The department claims that this violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The department says that the PhD Project violates the law by limiting eligibility based on the race of participants and are engaging in "race-exclusionary practices."
"Our vision is to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders..." the PhD Project told NPR. adding, "This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision."
Horse hockey. What white person would apply to a program that is working to limit the number of white people being hired at prominent corporations?
The proposed investigations are apparently distressing administrators at the targeted schools.
"They're feeling beleaguered. They're feeling overwhelmed," Lynn Pasquerella, the president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, told NPR. "There's a deep sense of moral distress."
Their warped world is blowing up around them and they don't know how to deal with it.
The schools under investigation include dozens of state schools and two Ivy Leagues, namely Cornell and Yale. A number of private schools are also facing scrutiny, include Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Rice, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and New York University. The full list of schools is here.
Six additional institutions of higher education are being probed for awarding alleged "impermissible race-based scholarships." Another one has been accused of "administering a program that segregates students on the basis of race."
The seven schools affected are: Grand Valley State University; Ithaca College; New England College of Optometry; University of Alabama; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; University of South Florida; and University of Oklahoma, Tulsa School of Medicine. The Department of Education did not respond to NPR's request to clarify which school is being accused of segregation.
Last month, the Education Department sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to schools, telling them to get rid of DEI.
The letter said, in part, “The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions. The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement, "Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment."
The schools are promising full cooperation.
The University of Chicago said, "The University prohibits unlawful discrimination... and will cooperate with OCR on its investigation."
A spokesman for the University of Oregon said: “We have recently reviewed all of our practices and believe that the University of Oregon is in compliance with the law. We have continued to review policies and practices in light of the Administration’s Executive Orders and look forward to working with the Office for Civil Rights to resolve this complaint.”
Schools have had a couple of years to refashion their DEI programs to comply with recent Supreme Court decisions. The high court tried in 2023 to end affirmative action programs in universities, after Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The affirmative action programs are still there. They're just calling them something else. The investigation by the Education Department should help shut them down for good.
Colleges hate transparency.
Your favorite PJ Media writers are working hard to bring you the best opinions and news in the business. Support us by becoming a VIP Member! We're giving you a 60% discount on the regular VIP Membership with the promo code "FIGHT." Click here to join and receive your discount.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member