President Donald Trump’s administration is investigating Emory University, alleging the Atlanta private school is among more than 40 other U.S. colleges engaging in racial discrimination.
The U.S. Department of Education announced in a Friday news release that its Office for Civil Rights had opened Title VI investigations into the universities for “allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”
Title VI, a piece of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, prohibits any federally funded programs, such as colleges and universities, from discriminating based on race, color and national origin. Violators risk losing their federal funding.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
Emory University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The release did not specify how the universities had allegedly discriminated, but did cite their partnerships with “The Ph.D. Project.” The nonprofit organization aims to expand the workplace talent pool and has helped more than 1,500 students earn their doctoral degrees so far, according to its website. In a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the organization said that this year it opened its membership application to anyone who shares its vision, “to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other.”
But the department views it differently. The organization, according to the release, “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 nonprofit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other universities in the South that are being investigated include Clemson, Duke, George Mason, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
The spate of investigations appears to be the latest battle in the Trump administration’s war against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. While DEI has come to mean different things to different people, proponents say it supports historically underrepresented groups, offering community to Black, Hispanic, disabled and other student populations. The Trump White House has argued the programs discriminate and violate federal civil rights law.
In a February letter, the department claimed DEI programs, “frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not.” It followed January presidential executive orders targeting DEI programs. Both orders are currently being challenged in court as unconstitutional.
Responding to the letter, more than 60 higher education organizations asked the department to rescind it. “Efforts to build inclusive and diverse campus communities are neither discriminatory nor illegal,” wrote Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education.
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