By Zenitha Prince
AFRO Contributing Editor
Not long after pressuring University of Virginia president, James Ryan, to resign, the Trump administration is at it again. This time, they are targeting George Mason University President Greg Washington, the school’s first Black president. The former American University professor became the eighth president of the Fairfax, Va.-based institution on July 1, 2020.
The Department of Education launched a civil rights probe into hiring practices at GMU, Virginia’s largest public university, on July 10. The investigation is part of Trump’s campaign to reshape higher education to conform to his agenda, including his crackdown on diversity and equal opportunity policies. On his second day in office, the president signed an executive order mandating the erasure of all diversity and inclusion polices and programs at institutions that receive federal funding.
Institutions like Harvard and Columbia faced the first round of scrutiny, and became the focus of investigations, alleging that the universities had violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by failing to protect Jewish students from harassment and discrimination during anti-war, and pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
More recently, former University of Virginia head James Ryan came under fire for its DEI commitments when “a group of conservative University of Virginia alumni, the Jefferson Council, published blog entries and newspaper ads decrying the president — in part for focusing too heavily on diversity efforts,” ProPublica reported.
Likewise, GMU’s president is being accused of illegally considering race in faculty hiring and promotions, the Education Department stated, based on complaints from “multiple professors” at George Mason.
One of the particulars that the agency found problematic was “the creation of a Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) to make university policies which will ‘advance systemic and cultural anti-racism’ at GMU.”
“This kind of pernicious and wide-spread discrimination—packaged as ‘anti-racism’—was allowed to flourish under the Biden Administration, but it will not be tolerated by this one,” said DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor in a statement.
The school has refuted the claims of “racial preferencing,” however, saying it does not discriminate.
“George Mason University (GMU) received a new Department of Education letter of investigation this morning, as it was simultaneously released to news outlets, which is unprecedented in our experience,” a July 14 statement read. “George Mason University again affirms its commitment to comply with all federal and state mandates. The university consistently reviews its policies and practices to ensure compliance with federal laws, updated executive orders and ongoing agency directives.”
Some onlookers say the Education Department probe appears to be a targeted campaign against Washington, especially given how quickly the news was released to the media.
“This latest witch hunt against President Washington is a blatant attempt to intimidate those who champion diversity,” Virginia NAACP President Rev. Cozy Bailey said in a statement. “We will not allow the progress we have achieved to be dismantled by political opportunism. Our universities must remain bastions of inclusion, not retreat from it. President Washington should not be targeted for his commitment to fostering an inclusive academic environment.”
Black Press USA’s Laura Burke contributed to this story.
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