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WASHINGTON — An investigation is underway involving over 50 universities accused of racial discrimination, set against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s initiative to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that his administration argues unfairly disadvantage white and Asian American students.
This announcement from the Education Department came on a Friday, following a memo issued just a month prior that warned educational institutions across the nation could face a loss of federal funding for implementing “race-based preferences” in various facets such as admissions and scholarships.
“Students should be evaluated based on their abilities and achievements rather than the color of their skin,” stated Education Secretary Linda McMahon, emphasizing the department’s firm stance on this notion.
The majority of the current investigations are scrutinizing collaborations with the PhD Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding students from marginalized backgrounds in obtaining business-related degrees to better represent diverse perspectives in the business sector.
Department officials assert that the Project’s eligibility criteria are race-based, and consequently, universities engaging with it are allegedly participating in race-based exclusion within their graduate programs.
Among the 45 universities now under review for their connection to the PhD Project are notable institutions such as Arizona State, Ohio State, and Rutgers, as well as elite private universities like Yale, Cornell, Duke, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
At the time of this reporting, there had been no immediate response from the PhD Project regarding the investigations.
Additionally, six universities are under investigation for providing “impermissible race-based scholarships.” Another institution is facing scrutiny for allegedly operating a program that segregates students based on race.
The schools implicated are Grand Valley State University, Ithaca College, the New England College of Optometry, the University of Alabama, the University of Minnesota, the University of South Florida, and the University of Tulsa School of Medicine.
Details regarding which of these institutions is being investigated for segregation were not disclosed.
A memo distributed on February 14 by the Trump administration represents a significant expansion of a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that restricted colleges from considering race in their admission processes.
While that decision primarily focused on Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s admissions, the Education Department now indicates it interprets the ruling to reject race-based practices in all educational settings, inclusive of K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.
In the memo, Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, articulated concerns that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in schools might be perpetuating stereotypes and promoting race-conscious attitudes in training and student programming.
The memo has sparked backlash and is currently contested in federal lawsuits brought forth by the country’s two largest teachers’ unions, which argue it lacks clarity and infringes on educators’ rights to free expression.
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