Emory University under federal investigation over ‘race-exclusionary practices'
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights announced Friday that they'd opened investigations into dozens of universities, citing allegations of race-exclusionary practices in graduate programs.
Among the universities in the list of 45 institutions was Emory University in Georgia.
Federal officials said the investigations opened into the various institutions followed a Feb. 14 'Dear Colleague' letter sent by the department that reminded the various schools of their 'civil rights obligations to end use of racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.'
Further, the department said the investigations follow allegations that the 45 institutions had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through their partnership with an organization called The Ph.D. Project.
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The Department of Education said 'purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a Ph.D. and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants.'
Along with the 45 universities under investigation for involvement with The Ph.D. Project, OCR said they were also investigating seven institutions for allegations of using impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation.
In the announcement, the Department of Education said 'institutions' violation of Title VI can result in loss of federal funds.'
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'The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination. The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination; today's announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,' U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. 'Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.'
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to Emory University and The Ph.D. Project for comment and are waiting for their responses.
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
Here's the list of institutions being investigated for allegations of race-based scholarships and race-based segregation:
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
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