DOE Office for Civil Rights initiates Title VI investigations, including OSU
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened investigations into 45 universities under Title VI following OCR’s February 14 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that reiterated schools’ civil rights obligations to end the use of racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.
The investigations come amid allegations that these institutions have violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964) by partnering with “The Ph.D. Project,” an organization that purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a Ph.D. and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants.
OCR is also investigating six universities for allegedly awarding impermissible race-based scholarships and one university for allegedly administering a program that segregates students on the basis of race.
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination. The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination; today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “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 universities now under investigation for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs include:
Arizona State University – Main Campus
Boise State University
Cal Poly Humboldt
California State University – San Bernadino
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
University of Arkansas – Fayetteville
University of California-Berkeley
University of Chicago
University of Cincinnati – Main Campus
University of Colorado – Colorado Springs
University of Delaware
University of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of New Mexico – Main Campus
University of North Dakota – Main Campus
University of North Texas – Denton
University of Notre Dame
University of NV – Las Vegas
University of Oregon
University of Rhode Island
University of Utah
University of Washington-Seattle
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wyoming
Vanderbilt University
Washington State University
Washington University in St. Louis
Yale University.
The schools under investigation for alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation are:
Grand Valley State University
Ithaca College
New England College of Optometry
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of South Florida
University of Oklahoma, Tulsa School of Community Medicine.
Background:
On February 14, OCR sent a Dear Colleague Letter to educational institutions receiving federal funding clarifying that, pursuant to federal antidiscrimination law, they must cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and other programs and activities. On March 1, the Department released FAQs to anticipate and answer questions that may have arisen in response to the DCL.
These OCR investigations are being conducted pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in education programs and activities receiving federal funding. Institutions’ violation of Title VI can result in loss of federal funds.