On Friday, March 14, the U.S. Department of Education announced it is launching investigations into 52 universities as part of a large-scale initiative targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. Grand Valley State University was listed as one of seven schools being investigated specifically for “alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation.” The University received notice from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) regarding the investigation.
The investigation into GVSU is in response to a federal complaint filed in January by the Equal Protection Project (EPP), which alleged that 11 University scholarships for BIPOC students violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
GVSU President Philomena Mantella released a statement on Friday in response to the investigation.
“Our legal team is currently reviewing this communication from OCR and gathering information to inform the university’s response and next steps,” Mantella said. “GVSU will continue to lean into its values while maintaining compliance with the law.”
The other 45 schools are being investigated for allegedly violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. The Department of Education claims that colleges and universities have violated the act by partnering with the PhD Project, a nonprofit organization that helps minority students earn PhDs in business. One of the schools targeted by the investigation is the University of Michigan.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a press release. “We will not yield on this commitment.”
The investigations follow a January “dear colleague” letter from the OCR, which served to expand on the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard verdict. The 2023 Supreme Court ruling banned race-based admissions for colleges and universities. In the letter, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor argued that DEI programs promote stereotypes, and that various universities actively discriminate against white and Asian students. The memo is already being challenged in two federal lawsuits.
According to the Department of Education’s press release, the schools under investigation for alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation are as follows. The school being investigated specifically for alleged segregation has not yet been identified by the Department of Education.
- Grand Valley State University
- Ithaca College
- New England College of Optometry
- University of Alabama
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- University of South Florida
- University of Oklahoma, Tulsa School of Community Medicine
The following universities are under investigation for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.
- 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
