The University of Chicago is among over 50 universities under investigation for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which his administration said excludes white and Asian American students.
The new investigation was announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Education, comes on the heels of a memo issued Feb. 14 by the Trump administration giving universities two weeks to end programs that “discriminate” on “the basis of race, color, or national origin” or risk losing federal funding. This includes “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “We will not yield on this commitment.”
The University of Chicago said in a statement that it has been notified of the complaint filed with the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and that an investigation was opened, and it will cooperate with OCR on its investigation.
Of the schools under investigation, 45 face scrutiny due to partnerships with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups get degrees in business to diversify the business world.
Department officials said that the group limits eligibility based on race and that colleges that partner with it are “engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”
Six other schools are being investigated for awarding “impermissible race-based scholarships,” the department said, while another is accused of running a program that segregates students based on race.
The department did not say which of the seven was being investigated for allegations of segregation.
This investigation comes on the heels of Columbia University losing $400 million in federal funding on March 7, as the federal agency’s Office of Civil Rights declared it had not done enough to quell anti-semitism on campus. A few days later, on March 10, the agency said 60 universities, including Northwestern, were under investigation for failing to adequately address anti-semitism and protect Jewish students on campus.
The Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, led by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, notified Mayor Brandon Johnson as well as local leaders in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston that it would like to meet soon to discuss the cities responses to incidents of antisemitism over the last two years.
“Too many elected officials chose not to stand up to a rising tide of antisemitism in our cities and campuses” following Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 7, 2023, Bondi said in a news release.
“Actions have consequences – inaction does, too.”
Along with visits to university campuses, the Task Force looks forward to meeting with mayors and municipal leaders to collaborate on restoring “safety, civility, and sanity to schools,” according to Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
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