The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched investigations into 45 universities under Title VI, following a February 14 Dear Colleague Letter that reiterated the civil rights obligations of educational institutions to eliminate racial preferences and stereotypes in their programs. The investigation focuses on allegations that these universities have breached Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964) by collaborating with "The Ph.D. Project," which is accused of limiting eligibility based on race.
Additionally, OCR is examining six universities for allegedly offering impermissible race-based scholarships and one university for allegedly operating a program that segregates students by race.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated, "The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination." She emphasized the commitment to assessing students based on merit rather than skin color, adding, "We will not yield on this commitment."
Among the universities under scrutiny for alleged race-exclusionary practices in graduate programs 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, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Montana State University-Bozeman, New York University (NYU), Rice University, Rutgers University, The Ohio State University – Main Campus, Towson University, Tulane University and others.
Institutions being investigated for alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and segregation include Grand Valley State University; Ithaca College; New England College of Optometry; the Universities of Alabama; Minnesota Twin Cities; South Florida; and Oklahoma Tulsa School of Community Medicine.
On February 14th OCR issued a Dear Colleague Letter reminding federally funded educational institutions they must stop using race preferences and stereotypes in admissions and other areas. On March 1st FAQs were released to address potential questions regarding this directive.
These investigations fall under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964), which prohibits discrimination based on race in education programs receiving federal funding. Violations can lead to loss of federal funds.
