Trump administration investigating Duke over race-related discrimination allegations
The Education Department and the Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to the university also detailing concerns regarding race discrimination in hiring, admissions and scholarships at the university.
The departments want Duke to review and reform these policies, make 'necessary' personnel changes and give assurances to the government the university is following its new standards.
The letter also urges the creation of a 'Merit and Civil Rights Committee' that has delegated authority from the university's Board of Trustees so an agreement can be quickly reached with the Trump administration to settle the alleged civil rights violations.
The requests stem from reports that applicants to the Duke Law Journal could receive extra points for describing their experience in an underrepresented group, the departments noted. The Journal allegedly only sent this additional rubric to select individuals that were told not to share the added grading system.
'I am proud to partner with Secretary Kennedy to ensure that Duke commits to excellence, integrity, and lawfulness in their training of our nation's future leaders,' Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. 'If Duke illegally gives preferential treatment to law journal or medical school applicants based on those students' immutable characteristics, that is an affront not only to civil rights law, but to the meritocratic character of academic excellence.'
'Blatantly discriminatory practices that are illegal under the Constitution, antidiscrimination law, and Supreme Court precedent have become all too common in our educational institutions,' she continued. 'The Trump Administration will not allow them to continue.'
The Hill has reached out to Duke University for comment.
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