Education Department Announces Investigations Into Mass. Universities

MASSACHUSETTS - The Education Department (DOE) announced investigations into several New England schools, including M.I.T.

In a news release, the DoE said it will investigate 45 universities for accusations of racial discrimination as the latest part of President Donald Trump's anti-DEI campaign. Just a month after issuing a memo that America's schools and colleges could lose federal funding over "race-based preferences," the DOE is reviving that fight by investigating potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964).

The accusations levied against schools across the country center on universities' partnerships with "The Ph.D. Project," an organization that reportedly provides doctoral students with help obtaining a Ph.D. and networking opportunities. The news release states these collaborations limit 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 release said.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) is one school under investigation for engaging in race-exclusionary practices in its graduate program. The New England School of Optometry, located in Boston, is one of six schools accused of impermissible race-based scholarships and segregations.

The investigations cite Title Vi of the Civil Rights Act, a landmark labor law that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, etc. However, its invocation appears to be part of the Trump administration's anti-DEI campaign, rather than prohibiting such racial discrimination that caused the law to be signed in the first place.

"The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination," U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the release. "Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin."