Education Dept. Finds U. Minnesota Discriminated Against Whites, Asians

Education Dept. Finds U. Minnesota Discriminated Against Whites, Asians

It’s amazing how widespread this is in higher education.

The Minnesota Star Tribune reports:

University of Minnesota cuts ties with nonprofit as Trump administration pushes against DEI

The University of Minnesota can no longer work with a group that helped Black and Latino students pursue business degrees — or other similar organizations — after the U.S. Education Department said the partnership constituted discrimination against white and Asian students.

The U participated in a “blatantly discriminatory program designed to benefit certain favored students based on their race or national origin to the clear detriment of other students who did not have access to the program,” a September letter from the Department of Education said.

As a result of that finding, the U signed an agreement with the department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in October, requiring U officials to submit a list of memberships in outside organizations that restrict participation based on race and prove it has canceled them while also allowing the office to monitor its compliance on an ongoing basis.

The actions are part of the Trump administration’s nationwide crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, with colleges and universities at the center of much of the scrutiny.

In a recent statement, the U said it “remains engaged” with the OCR to “address their concerns in this matter and continues to be diligent in its compliance with federal regulations and guidelines” while also remaining committed to supporting equity and diversity.

In March, the Department of Education identified 45 universities that “engaged in race exclusionary practices” by collaborating with the PhD Project, a national nonprofit that aimed to diversify the pipeline of students enrolling in business doctoral programs. The U was on that list and was called out a second time for participating in race-based scholarships or segregation.

“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,” Linda McMahon, U.S. Education Department secretary, said in the letter. “Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes.”

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