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The Justice Division is investigating whether or not George Mason College (GMU) engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. In response to the division, it’s targeted on figuring out whether or not GMU violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating based mostly on race, coloration, faith, intercourse or nationwide origin.
“It’s illegal and un-American to disclaim equal entry to employment alternatives on the idea of race and intercourse,” Assistant Legal professional Common Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned in an announcement. “When employers display screen out certified candidates from the hiring course of, they not solely erode belief in our public establishments—they violate the regulation, and the Justice Division will examine accordingly.”
Statue of George Mason on campus of George Mason College, Fairfax, Va. (Robert Knopes/UCG/Common Pictures Group through Getty Pictures)
DOJ INVESTIGATING MINNESOTA HIRING PRACTICES IN LATEST CLASH WITH WALZ
In a letter to GMU Board of Guests Rector Charles “Cully” Stimson, Dhillon wrote that the DOJ has “cause to imagine” that race and intercourse have been used as “motivating elements in college hiring selections” below GMU President Gregory Washington.
Dhillon acknowledged that on July 23, 2020, Washington emailed a GMU college listserv during which he mentioned he deliberate to create a course of for “renewal promotion and tenure” that will profit “college of coloration and ladies.” Moreover, Washington allegedly additionally mentioned within the e-mail that he aimed to “develop particular mechanisms within the promotion and tenure course of that acknowledge the invisible and uncredited emotional labor that individuals of coloration expend to be taught, educate, uncover, and work on campus.”
“I’ve licensed a full investigation to find out whether or not GMU is engaged in a sample or observe of discrimination as set forth above. We now have not reached any conclusions about the subject material of the investigation,” Dhillon wrote.
Dr. Gregory Washington, the brand new President of George Mason College, holds an introductory press convention in Fairfax, Va. ( Invoice O’Leary/The Washington Publish through Getty Pictures)
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PRESIDENT RESIGNS AMID PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMIN OVER DEI INITIATIVES
The investigation into GMU comes simply weeks after College of Virginia President James Ryan resigned attributable to stress from the Trump administration.
“To make a protracted story brief, I’m inclined to combat for what I imagine in, and I imagine deeply on this College. However I can’t make a unilateral determination to combat the federal authorities with a purpose to save my very own job. To take action wouldn’t solely be quixotic however seem egocentric and self-centered to the lots of of staff who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the lots of of scholars who may lose monetary support or have their visas withheld,” Ryan wrote in an announcement.
George Mason College scholar Illia Sheikholeslami holds indicators in the course of the “Fingers Off Our Faculties” rally in entrance of the U.S. Division of Training on April 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Pictures)
The Trump administration has made tacking variety, fairness and inclusion (DEI) insurance policies, significantly in authorities and academic establishments, a precedence. As a part of the DEI crackdown, the Training Division launched the “Finish DEI” Portal in February 2025. It permits dad and mom, college students, lecturers and even involved residents to submit stories on what they imagine to be DEI in publicly funded Ok-12 faculties.
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President Donald Trump has issued a number of govt orders aimed toward ending DEI. This consists of “Ending Radical and Wasteful Authorities DEI Applications and Preferencing” and “Ending Unlawful Discrimination and Restoring Benefit-Primarily based Alternative.”
Fox Information Digital contacted Mike Fragoso of Torridon Legislation PLLC, who’s dealing with inquiries on behalf of George Mason College, however didn’t get a response in time for publication.
