Department of Education investigates three California universities, accusing discrimination based on race
The Department of Education said Friday that as the Trump administration prompted schools to eliminate campus diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the survey has begun investigating so-called racially-based discrimination and 49 other universities nationwide to eliminate campus diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which speaks to hurt white and Asian American students.
The department issued a memorandum threatening to withdraw federal funds, provide support to schools and consider playing games in their campus programming for about a month, and the investigation was conducted in about a month.
In addition to the University of California, the survey targets public and private campuses in 40 states and Washington, D.C.
“The color of students’ skin must be evaluated based on strengths and achievements,” said the statement from Education Secretary Linda McMahon. “We will not succumb to this commitment.”
According to its website, California cases and the vast majority of zeros nationwide are partnerships of the department.
The nonprofit “is designed to provide doctoral students with insights on the opportunities to obtain doctoral degrees and network, but limits eligibility based on the race of the participants.”
The school “has a firm commitment to campuses without discrimination. We will respond to any complaints or allegations through the procedures prescribed by the DOE.”
Amy Bentley-Smith, a spokesman for the California State University system, said: “CSU has recently learned about the investigation and will review and seek to understand the nature of the claim and will work with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office in any investigation. CSU continues to comply with long-term applicable federal and state laws and CSU policies and does not discriminate or provide preferences based on race, gender, color, race, or nationality.”
In a statement, a woman speaking on the PhD program said that as of this year, applications were “open to anyone.” The spokesperson did not answer questions about when changes occurred.
“For the past 30 years, the PhD program has been expanding the pool of workplace talent by developing business school faculty,” said Vivian King, a spokesperson for the organization. “Our vision is to build a wider talent channel through networks, mentoring and unique activities that are committed to excellence and each other through current and future business leaders.”
The organization lists three California campuses, along with many other campuses under investigation, on the College Partners section of its website. The website also lists dozens of unnamed campuses in the department’s survey, including UCLA, USC and CAL State Los Angeles.
Education department officials did not respond to requests for more details on the allegations of discrimination.
Friday’s announcement was sent from the Ministry’s Civil Rights Office, whose citizen is tasked with implementing federal anti-discrimination laws.
Hundreds of civil rights lawyers were liberalized as part of the mass education division’s layoffs this week, resulting in the closure of regional offices in San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, New York, New York and Philadelphia. There are 50 workers in the San Francisco office working on the vast majority of cases for California. Department officials did not answer questions Friday about who will investigate the California campus. The civil rights departments in Seattle, Denver, Kansas City and Washington are still open.
The department also announced an investigation into six universities Friday that allegedly awarded “race scholarships not allowed” and allegedly “manage a program to divide students by race.”
These universities are: Otani State University; Ithaca College; New England Optometry College; University of Alabama; University of Minnesota Twin Cities; and University of South Florida. The announcement also named the University of Tulsa School of Medicine, but there is no such school of medicine.
The ministry has not designated seven schools to be investigated for alleged segregation.
The actions are the first investigations since the Trump administration released a letter a month ago telling all US universities and school districts that using “race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life” violents anti-discrimination law.
The February 14 guide did not announce a new law. Instead, it proposes the Trump administration’s interpretation of existing laws.
Schools across the country are eager to comply with DEI-related offices and positions and remove DEI language from their websites. At USC, a university-wide DEI office is closed and merged with the university’s “culture” team. The department deleted the online diversity statement. The Academy of Film Arts removed the website, offering scholarships for black and Indigenous students.
On February 28, the Ministry of Education backed down some guidance, saying it did not believe that all diversity programs were illegal.
“Schools must consider whether any school is programmed to keep members of all races from participating in a particular race or race, or to create a hostile environment by participating in a competition for students,” the department’s latest guidance said.
Trump said he wanted to close the education department and directed McMahon to “unemployed” but needed Congressional support to end. Meanwhile, federal education officials have focused on opposition efforts to prevent trans students from participating in the women’s sports team and investigate the anti-Semitism accusations made on October 7, 2023 during the campus protests on October 7, 2023, Hamas’ war on Israel and Israel on cheering for.
Federal agencies are in talks with Columbia University after the Trump administration canceled $400 million in federal grants during pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
Additionally, Trump administration officials are looking for foreign students in Colombia to go to deportation, who accused them of supporting the role of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas in the pro-Palestinian protests. After Sunday’s high-profile arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent graduate student and Palestinian activist, helped lead the Colombian protest last spring, authorities arrested a second person who participated in a campus demonstration and revoked another student visa.
The Ministry of Education said on Monday that another 60 campuses are under investigation, similar to potential financial sanctions imposed on Colombia. These include four UCS – San Diego, Santa Barbara, Berkeley and Davis – as well as the University of Southern California, Pomona College, Stanford, Chapman University, Santa Monica College and Sacramento State University.
Multiple anti-Semitism policy task forces also plan to visit 10 campuses including UCLA, UCLA, UCLA and UC Berkeley, and this month the Justice Department investigated “potential patterns” of anti-Semitism discrimination against employees in the University of California system. The task force also asked the meetings for the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, and the mayors of New York, Chicago and Boston, to “respond to anti-Semitism incidents in schools and college campuses.”
