The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened investigations into the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus for alleged violations of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Title VI bars institutions that receive federal money from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin.
According to a Friday press release, the OCR is investigating 45 universities for allegedly violating Title VI “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.”
The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was among the list of 45 universities. Alpha News reached out to The Ph.D. Project about this situation but did not immediately receive a reply. According to The New York Times, the organization’s mission is “to promote the racial diversity of professors in the nation’s business schools.”
Additionally, the OCR said it is “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 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was listed amongst those seven institutions, but the OCR did not identify which investigation applied to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Alpha News reached out to the OCR seeking clarification and further details specifically about the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, but a media inquiry was not immediately returned.
In December, Alpha News reported on a “Design Justice” program at the University of Minnesota that facilitated “racially segregated events,” according to a civil rights complaint filed against the school.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the investigations into the 45 schools.
In a statement to Alpha News, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities said it will “fully cooperate with any investigation into these matters.”
“The University regularly revisits the selection criteria across thousands of grants, scholarships, and other awards to our students, as well as educational and community programs. When needed, the University has made and will make updates to ensure continued compliance with all applicable laws,” added the statement.
The federal investigations come after the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a letter in February that instructed schools to adhere to Title VI’s prohibition on discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
“The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that
has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions,” said the letter. “The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as
diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme
Court precedent.”
The letter informed schools that the OCR would begin assessing institutional compliance at the beginning of March.
“The University of Minnesota is strongly committed to fostering a welcoming environment for students, faculty and staff from around the world,” the university told Alpha News. “We will remain strongly committed to ensuring that the University continues to be an inclusive and discrimination-free environment for all.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
